In a statement, Ebilade Ekerefe, National spokesperson for the group, said a holistic investigation to unravel what led to the death of the boy was necessary to bring culprits to justice.
The Ijaw Youths Council has expressed shock over the death of a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lagos, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr.
In a statement, Ebilade Ekerefe, National spokesperson for the group, said a holistic investigation to unravel what led to the death of the boy was necessary to bring culprits to justice.
The statement read, “To our utter consternation, the school denied all allegations stating that Oromoni was neither bullied nor beaten but only complained of hip pain after playing football.
“However, contrary to the school’s
the statement, the victim’s cousin rolled out photos and video evidence, which tended to corroborate the fact that the child was bullied and beaten which had led to this avoidable untimely death.
“Late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr is a
son of Ijaw land from Ogbeh-Ijoh area of Warri South-West Local Government of Delta State. The circumstances that led to his death are indeed irksome to all Nigerians of good conscience who have displayed tremendous solidarity in the condemnation of evil.
“The justice we demand is the
holistic type that will bring to book the killers of this boy and members of the
school management, who instead of speaking the truth, soiled their souls by trying desperately to cover up the evil deeds.
“While we thank and commend the
Lagos State Government for its speedy initiative towards shutting down the Dowen College, the Ijaw youths worldwide wants to call on the Lagos Commissioner of Police to launch a detailed and meticulous investigation into the death of Sylvester
Oromoni Jnr.
“We also call for the arrest of
the principal of the school, students mentioned and staff involved in the
alleged attempt to change the narrative that led to the death. They have shown evidence of a deliberate attempt to conceal the murder. The fake story about the hip injury from a game of football shows in clear language that they are complicit in the crime
“We want to appeal to the police and other security agencies to be professional and not to be deterred by the massive influence behind the school. The school is a business concern of powerful people.
“Online reports are quoting the principal of the school as having said that lectures would go on online. This story if true amounts to organizing a party around the corpse of the late Sylvester Oromoni. The state government should halt it.
“We also demand from the Lagos
State Government and the Ministry of Education that the operating license of
the school be suspended to send a clear signal to careless institutions who emphasize their businesses to the utter exclusion of the lives of the future leaders in their care.
“Finally, we commend all concerned Nigerians; we commend the media for the huge attention given to this disturbing development, we commend our celebrities, who trooped out in their numbers in speaking out to condemn this heinous crime while calling for justice to prevail. We are strengthened by the unprecedented solidarity showed by Nigerians.”
Late Oromoni was said to have been beaten by some of his school mates for refusing to join a cult group.
He died days later from injuries sustained from that assault.
Management of the school has come under heavy criticisms for denying the incident.
The Lagos State Government has since ordered a closure of the school until further notice following the incident.