Rosemary Oromoni, mother of Sylvester Oromoni, a Dowen College student whose death sparked a national outcry over allegations of bullying, has died.
A family source told TheCable that Rosemary passed away in late November following complications related to intermittent blood pressure issues.
Her death comes over seven months after a Lagos coroner’s court dismissed the family’s case in April 2024.
Oromoni, aged 12, died on November 30, 2021, while enrolled at Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos. His parents accused five male schoolmates of bullying, physical assault and administering a toxic substance to their son. The school denied these claims, asserting that the boy’s injuries resulted from a football-related incident.
The first autopsy indicated “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication,” but this was discredited over procedural concerns. A second autopsy by the Lagos Directorate of Public Prosecutions concluded that Oromoni died “naturally.”
The case culminated in April 2024 with the coroner ruling that Oromoni’s death was due to sepsis caused by an infection stemming from an ankle injury. Judge Mikhail Kadiri attributed the death to “parental and medical negligence” while exonerating Dowen College and the accused boys.
Five students — Favour Benjamin, Michael Kashamu, Edward Begue, Ansel Temile, and Kenneth Inyang — were cleared of all allegations and released from a juvenile home in 2022.
The Oromoni family kept the boy’s body in a morgue until his burial on January 27, 2024, as a form of protest against the legal findings. Throughout the two-year trial, the family maintained that critical evidence supporting their claims was overlooked.
Mrs Oromoni’s health reportedly deteriorated following the emotional toll of the prolonged case and its eventual dismissal.
