My Statement on Master Sylvester Oromoni’s death
In the early hours of today, I was briefed as the Secretary-General of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide—by the devastating news of the death of Sylvester Oromoni, a 12 year old student in Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos State, who is from Ijaw Ethnic Nationality.
Medical findings by doctors confirmed the cause of his death to be occasioned by severe beating which led to bodily injury. As a father of two I vividly understand the grief of the parents of how saddened they are, therefore, I call on the Governor of Lagos State to investigate the death of Master Sylvester Oromoni and bring those responsible to justice even as I commiserate with the Oromoni family in Ogbe-Ijoh Warri kingdom.
Let me re-echo Lagos State government must identify the culprits who carried out this dastardly act, so that they can face the rot of the law. Before his demise Sylvester Oromoni identified the culprits as cultists who desperately wanted to initiate him as one of them, but because of his refusal he was physical assaulted.
So, I wonder why the Management of Dowen College would downplay the case of murder in a clandestine bid to protect their image and business venture. This is mischievous and must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerian. The Management of Dowen College through their responses has shown to the world that they are more concerned about the image of their school rather than the life of one of their student, which was cut short in an avoidable circumstances. Sadly, these are the kind of responses you get if you are from the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality. The FGN collaborates with multinational oil companies to steal our oil, impoverish our people with the gross underdevelopment of our communities. Today an Ijaw son has died in search of education, just because the FGN cannot attend to our developmental needs by investing in social programs such as education. That is why as Ijaw people we believe resource justice and self-determination as the only panacea to security of lives and properties in Ijaw Communities.
Instead of the Management of Dowen College to soberly reflect and ensure the culprits are brought to justice, they are making provocative statements. Their statement apparently has exonerated the culprits, even when the deceased in his last breath declared, they were cultists, yet Dowen College is playing politics just as the brunt of oil exploration we endure by the oil companies.
The Management of Dowen College by this desperate act has proven to Ijaw people that they might be an complicit to this heinous crime or probably has got something to hide. In the Nigerian Legal system a dying declaration is an admissible evidence. There is no gainsaying that whatever the findings of their shabby, hasty, ill-motivated and biased investigations are, they are supposed to furnish it with the Nigeria Police to investigate the matter and not to the general public, as this will misdirect the course of the investigation. The fact is that a child kept under their custody to learn and become a future leader was killed and this makes them preliminary suspects too and not a judge over it.
I reiterate, the life of every Ijaw man both young and old is important to us and as the Secretary- General of IYC Worldwide, I will never allow some group of people parading themselves as cultists to take the life of any Ijaw man. I mean this, and I know I speak on behalf of the 8th NEC when I say this.
I therefore call on the Lagos State Police Command to swing into action and get to the bottom of this, no matter how highly placed the background of the perpetrators are.
The 8th NEC, and indeed Ijaw people will not tolerate any attempt by Dowen College to subvert the wheel of justice in this matter. Any further attempt to do so, the 8th NEC may be tempted to issue directives to the IYC Lagos Chapter to close down Dowen College indefinitely. This is not a mere threat, but a promise to be fulfilled.
SIGNED:
Comrade Frank M. Pukon
Secretary-General
Ijaw Youth Council (IYC)
Worldwide