Sylvester Oromoni: Media, public barred from coroner inquest

Journalists and other members of the public were on Monday barred from proceedings of an Ikeja Coroner’s Court unraveling the circumstances surrounding the death of Sylvester Oromoni, a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lagos.

Our correspondent reports that the Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, ordered journalists and other members of the public out of the court because the deceased’s sister, a minor, was slated to testify.

The minor came with her father, Mr Sylvester Oromoni Snr., who is also slated to testify.

Invoking Section 191 of the Child Rights Law of Lagos State, the Coroner said: “Proceedings will be held privately.”

“Members of the press and the general public are hereby excused.”

Earlier, when the minor entered the witness box, counsel to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Bernard Oniga, requested that the press and others members of the public to leave the court.

“Your honour, I will like to bring to your attention Section 191 of the Child Rights Law of Lagos State, which pertains to the protection of the privacy of a child during proceedings.”

“A minor needs to be protected from undue publicity or the process of labelling as well information that may lead to identification.”

“This matter has been highly sensationalised. Any minor that so wishes to appear before it must be accorded some level of privacy because she still has a future ahead,” he said.

Mr Godwin Omoaka (SAN), counsel to one of the accused students of Dowen College, agreed with Oniga’s submission.

Our correspondent reports that it was alleged that the 12-year-old Oromoni died on Nov. 30, 2021, from injuries sustained in an attack by five senior students of Dowen College for refusing to join a cult.

It was also alleged that he was forced to drink an obnoxious substance by his attackers.

Advice from Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions released on Jan. 4, however, disputed the allegations, stating that two autopsies revealed the student’s cause of death as acute bacterial pneumonia due to severe sepsis.