Metro News
Two years after, late Dowen College student, Sylvester Oromoni finally laid to rest
Tears flowed on Saturday as 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, a student of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos State, allegedly tortured by some senior students of the college which resulted in his death, was laid to rest at his family’s compound in Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri South West Local Council of Delta State.
He was buried after two years of his death as his parents insisted on getting justice for him.
Born on December 4, 2009, he died on November 30, 2021, in controversial circumstances. It was alleged that he was tortured by some senior students of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos State, who wanted to initiate him into a cult group.
His death generated condemnation and a series of protests by civil society groups against the alleged delay of the Lagos State government in taking justice to those allegedly behind his death.
His burial attracted several dignitaries from far and near, which included human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).
In his brief remarks, Falana eulogised the late Sylvester as a great Nigerian whose life was cut short.
He said: “We are here to celebrate a great Nigerian whose life was cut short. His short life was so eventful according to his biography that was just read to us now. The short life of Solomon cannot be compared with that of Methuselah. Sylvester touched the lives of his teachers, friends, fellow students and we should remind and ask ourselves what we would be remembered for after this life. We must try as much as possible to rededicate our lives to God Almighty. I must thank the parents of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr for standing and demanding justice for their son.”
Ven. Goodluck Bayagbon of God’s Grace Ministry, Warri, in a homily titled ‘Forever with the Lord’, implored Christians to live a life worthy of emulation and strive to be heavenly candidates.
While describing the deceased as a true believer in Christ, the cleric said: “Sylvester Oromoni Jnr has gone to rest with the Lord and free from all evil and calamity of the world. We are not here to weep and mourn over Sylvester but to celebrate a great man, a young man that God Almighty loves so much. Sylvester left an indelible mark in the hearts of all men that must be emulated.
“Sylvester should be emulated according to his brief biography read to us all. He was a good young boy, who cared so much about his fellow students, friends, sisters, brothers and all those who crossed his path. He was diligent and was a devout Christian. At his young age, he cared for the needs of his fellow students; he was so good both at school and home.
“Though he left very young, he has achieved the purpose of God who created him. We are here to celebrate him not to mourn. At his age, look at the mammoth crowd that came to bid him farewell to heaven.”
The Rivers state Police command says four people and over 70 vehicles were burnt in Friday’s fuel tanker explosion in the state.
The explosion occurred along Eleme section of the East-West Road in the state at about 7:30 p.m.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesman of command, who confirmed the sad incident in Port Harcourt on Saturday, said that the tragedy occurred following a collision between a heavy-duty truck and a petrol-laden tanker.
At the scene of the accident, there were seveal burnt vehicles and charred bodies of victims on the road.
The incident happened a few metres from the Indorama Petrochemical Company and roughly 10 kilometres from the Port Harcourt Refinery.
There was an extensive gridlock stretching over five kilometres on the road under reconstruction as part of the N200 billion Ring Road project by the Rivers Government.
State government trucks, accompanied by police and Federal Road Safety Commission officials, were seen evacuating the burnt vehicles to facilitate traffic flow.
An eyewitness, Onyeka Ubani, who narrowly escaped the explosion, said that while transporting passengers on his newly acquired tricycle (Keke), they heard a deafening sound ahead of them.
“The loud sound was followed by a massive fireball, causing everyone to flee for safety.
“We managed to escape, but unfortunately, my Keke caught fire in the process.
“I thank God for my life, but I am at a loss about what to do with my life now, having recently purchased this Keke,” a distraught Ubani said.
Another eyewitness, David Jumbo, said that he was returning home from work around the Akpajo axis of the East-West Road when the incident occurred.
He narrated that after the explosion, vehicles and victims were caught by fire, which stretched over 200 metres.
“It happened so quickly that it could be likened to scenes from Hollywood movies.
“While I was fleeing for safety, I saw a pregnant woman struggling to exit one of the commercial vehicles.
“Unfortunately, when I returned this morning, I found the deceased pregnant woman trapped in the bus as she tried to escape,” he recounted.
Jumbo attributed the accident to the recklessness of truck drivers, who disregarded road warnings despite the ongoing road construction.
Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, who visited the accident scene, described it as tragic and sad.
He urged motorists to always exercise caution while on the road.
“This incident is not a pleasant one, we recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost.
“I have already asked the relevant agencies to brief us on how we can support the bereaved families to mitigate their losses.
“This incident would have been avoided if the motorists had adhered to proper conduct. People should ply this road with caution,” Fubara said.
Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, says the state government will support he families of victims affected by the multiple tanker explosion.
Fubara spoke on Saturday when he visited the scene of the accident alongside Olatunji Disu, commissioner for police in Rivers, and Maximus Nwafor, commissioner for energy.
On Friday night, tankers laden with petroleum products burst into flames on a section of the East-West road in Eleme, Rivers state, leaving an unspecified number of people killed.
The inferno which had also left travellers stranded for hours, engulfed over 50 vehicles, with some bodies found burnt beyond recognition in cars and in a nearby drainage.
The governor directed security agencies to conduct a thorough assessment of the accident to facilitate the provision of aid to families of victims.
“Yesterday around 7-8pm, we got information about a very serious inferno that was caused by a tanker conveying PMS,” he said.
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama and immediately alerted the security agencies. From what we are seeing this morning, it was not a very pleasant case.
“We recorded, from what I am seeing, a huge number of vehicles being destroyed and souls lost.
“I have already asked the security agencies to give us a full brief. So that we can come into the situation fully by seeing how much we can support the families of the bereaved and see how we can cushion the effect of the losses.”
The governor also lamented the deteriorating condition of the Eleme section of the East-West road.
“We all know the situation of this road; it is unfortunate. Most of our people when plying this road do so with caution,” he added.
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