The Lagos State has exonerated the five students and officials of Dowen College who were linked to the death of Sylvester Oromoni.
Those who were cleared are 16-year-old Favour Benjamin, Edward Begue (16), Ansel Temile (14) and Kenneth Inyang (15) and 15-year-old Micheal Kashamu, all students of the school.
Others, who are officials of the school, are Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun and one Adeyemi.
The state also exonerated Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, the manager of the school building in Lekki.
The students cleared by the state government are 16-year-old Favour Benjamin.
They were cleared of the allegations against them through the Director of Public Prosecution in the state.
The students and officials were alleged to be involved in the death of 12-year-old Oromoni, who died from injuries he sustained in an attack by five senior students of the school. He was alleged to have refused to join their cult.
Sylvester died on November 30, 2020, which led to a nationwide outcry against the school, with many people calling for its closure.
His father alleged that Sylvester died as a result of beatings he received from the seniors, who also fed him with a liquid chemical.
The school, on its part, claimed that the boy merely sustained injuries while playing football with his schoolmates.
But according to the DPP, the autopsy report ruled out a case of murder, adding that the toxicology dictated no harmful substance in his body
The clearance followed the Legal advice of the DPP, Ms Adetutu Oshinusi.
The advice stated that the interim and final autopsy reports issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and toxicology report of post mortem samples and that of the Central Hospital, Warri were in agreement as to the cause of death namely: Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis.
It was addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, and the trial magistrate, Magistrate Olatunbosun Adeola.
“The result of the toxicology is also not indicative of any toxic or poisonous substance in the body of the deceased,” it added.
Based on the above, the legal advice concluded that based on these findings, there is “no prima facie case of murder, involuntary manslaughter and or malicious administering of poison with intent to harm against the five students”.
It stated that “from available facts in the duplicate case file, the investigation carried out by the Police did not reveal that any secret society name, tattoo or insignia of any unlawful society was found in the possession of any of the suspects during the investigation carried out by the Police.
“To hold otherwise would amount to sniffing for an offence and a speculative act which is not permitted in law. It is trite law that suspicion no matter how grave cannot be a ground for conviction,” it concluded
