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REVEALED: How Lagos Police Wrote Chief Judge, Condemned Bail Granted To Buruji Kashamu’s Son, Other Dowen College Students Detained Over Oromoni’s Death

February 21, 2022

The students are Michael Kashamu; one of the sons of the late politician, Senator Buruji Kashamu, Kenneth Inyang, Favour Benjamin, Ansel Temile and Edward Begue.

The Lagos State Police Command protested against the bail granted to five Dowen College students detained over the death of Sylvester Oromoni, a pupil of the school who died under mysterious circumstances in 2021, a document seen by SaharaReporters has shown.
 
The students are Michael Kashamu; one of the sons of the late politician, Senator Buruji Kashamu, Kenneth Inyang, Favour Benjamin, Ansel Temile and Edward Begue.

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A Chief Magistrates’ court in Yaba, Lagos, had on December 21, 2021 granted the students bail after a conspiracy and homicide charge was filed against them by the police.
 
The minors were remanded in a juvenile home on December 9, over the death of Sylvester.
 
Chief Magistrate, Olatunbosun Adeola, who heard the bail application, ordered the defendants to produce two sureties each in like sum.
 
The magistrate stated that one of each of the defendants’ sureties must be their parent, who must swear an affidavit of compliance.
 
However, a day after the judgement, the police in a letter to the Chief Judge of Lagos State, K.O. Alogba protested against the move.
 
Part of the letter signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Fayoade Adegoke, for the Commissioner of Police, read, “It is imperative to inform you that while the investigating police officers were at the Boys Home eliciting and recording more statements from the students based on fresh intelligence report, the Magistrate was entertaining an application of bail from the parents of the students.
 
“This came as a rude shock to the process of the ongoing investigation. This act is capable of attracting negative reactions from the members of the public and painting the police and judiciary as key agent of the criminal justice systems not committed to ensuring that justice is served transparently.
 
“The case is in the public domain which has attracted comments nationally and internationally, and as such must be thoroughly investigated to a logical conclusion. It is a known fact that case(s) of murder are meticulously handled to ensure state, suspect(s) and victim(s) get fair justice at the completion of investigation.
 
“The procedural justice system made it mandatory for Law Enforcements to remand suspect(s) while investigation is ongoing to equally ensure that casefile(s) is/are sent you the office of Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for vetting legal advice, and to await same, before a position is taken by the Magistrate.
 
“It is my humble request that in view of this, the bail already granted should be revoked immediately and the Boys be returned to the remand home pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation. Accept the assurances of my esteemed regards, as always, please.”
 
Sylvester died on November 30, 2021 following ill-health said to have been caused by bullying by the suspects.
 
The 12-year-old’s father had claimed his child was bullied, beaten and fed with a liquid substance that eventually claimed his life.
 
But Dowen dismissed the claim, alleging that the boy sustained injuries while playing football with colleagues.
Hakeem Odumosu, then Lagos Police Commissioner, ordered a probe into the case while the school was sealed.
 
Two autopsies were carried out on the deceased, one by the Delta police and the second by the Lagos police command.
 
The first autopsy earlier released to the public had revealed that the deceased died of “chemical intoxication”.

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