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Oromoni: Group Raises Alarm, Alleges Cover Up in Revealing Cause of Death

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2023

Eric

A group, Justice for Sylvester Oromoni Committee (JSOC), has expressed displeasure over what it described as “prolonged delay” by the Coroner Inquest set up by Lagos State government to investigate the cause of death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, a JSS II student of Dowen College, Lekki, who reportedly died on November 30, 2021.

He died from an alleged torture by some students who reportedly wanted to initiate him into a cult group.

The death of Oromoni, which generated condemnation and series of protests by civil society groups and women across the country as well as heated controversies, was yet to yield any positive results almost two years after following the dilly-dally and alleged delay tactics by some officials of the Lagos State Government.

The Lagos State Government had following the death of Sylvester Oromoni (Jnr), ordered a coroner inquest to unravel the cause of death which commenced on the 21st day of January, 2022 at the Magistrate Court, Epe (now Magistrate Court 20, Ogba) and yet to be concluded even as the deceased family had raised the alarm over an alleged plot to unnecessarily delay proceedings at the coroner’s inquest into the death of their son.

They also alleged a cover-up between the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) over the circumstances surrounding the death.
Speaking on the delay, the body appealed to the Lagos state government, the judiciary and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on members of the Coroner to immediately make its findings and recommendations available to the public in the interest of justice for their late son.

In a statement signed by its JSOC’s coordinator, Regent Youmor, and obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday, the group said it had become very necessary for the Coroner to immediately declare its findings in order for the parties involved to be able to take their next line of action.

The group noted that it was necessary to ensure that justice prevailed even as it decried a situation where it took the Coroner almost two years to investigate the cause of death of their son.

They added that such prolonged investigation was no longer in best interests of the members as it had started raising doubts on their transparency and raising suspicions of compromise in the entire process and the purpose for which it was set up to achieve.

“It’s unthinkable to see that a Coroner Inquest that is usually set up with a specific terms of reference and a short time frame to accomplish its findings and submit its findings to enable parties involved take the next line of action open to them in any particular case is now the one foot dragging to make report public.

“From our little experience of how Coroner Inquest works, the members are allowed to sit even on Sundays, in order to be able to meet up with the specified time frame it’s being given but in the case, we have an Inquest that adjourns for two months, come back to sit briefly again and then take another three months adjournment for no good reasons.

“Gradually, it’s becoming very obvious that the Coroner is deliberately doing this to frustrate the family of the deceased to give up on the case, as we want to believe that there is more to the Coroner delay tactics in this matter than meets the ordinary eye.

“As it stands now, we are being forced to believe that someone or group of persons, may have been sponsoring the members to embark on this delayed proceedings as a way of either buying time to manipulate its report or frustrate the family to lose interest in the case so that the perpetrators of the dastardly act that took our son’s life can go scot free.

“It is based on this, that we the concerned Ijaw indigenes both at home and in the diaspora are calling on both the federal and Lagos state governments, the judiciary, as well as well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Coroner Inquest to make public its findings so that the family can proceed with its next line of action”, the group stated.

SaharaReporters

Featured

US Restricts Nigerians to Single-Entry, 3-Month Visas

Published

4 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Eric

The United States Department of State has announced changes to its reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy that affect Nigerian citizens.

Starting immediately, most U.S. non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians will be single-entry visas valid for three months.

In a statement on the website of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria on July 8, the Department of State said visas issued before July 8, 2025, will maintain their original validity and terms.

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria noted that visa reciprocity is an ongoing process subject to periodic review, which may lead to adjustments in the number of permitted entries or the duration of visa validity.

Updated information on visa reciprocity for all countries is available on the U.S. Department of State website.

The U.S. Department of State emphasized that its visa criteria aim to safeguard the integrity of U.S. immigration systems by adhering to global technical and security standards.

These criteria include ensuring the issuance of secure travel documents, limiting visa overstays, and sharing relevant security and criminal information to enhance public safety.

Officials from the U.S. Mission said they are collaborating with Nigerian government agencies to help Nigeria meet these standards.

The statement acknowledged the efforts of Nigeria’s immigration and security authorities toward aligning with international best practices but noted that challenges remain.

Nigerian travelers were advised to comply fully with visa terms and ensure their travel documents are genuine and current.

The U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its partnership with Nigeria through business, education, and cultural exchanges, emphasizing continued cooperation with Nigerian officials to promote safe and lawful travel between the two countries.

Featured

FG Pegs Age of Tertiary Institutions Admission at 16 As JAMB Announces Ranking of Candidates

Published

13 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Eric

The Federal Government has pegged the minimum admissible age for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria at 16 years.

Minister of Education Tunji Alausa announced this on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The 16-year age requirement will be enforced through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), with efforts made to accommodate candidates who would turn 16 by 31st August 2025.

However, JAMB expressed concern that some institutions had violated this directive by admitting underage candidates through channels outside CAPS and collecting substantial amounts from them as tuition fees.

“The Board implemented the 16-year admissible age on its CAPS platform and even bent backwards to accommodate candidates who would be 16 as of 31st August 2025.

“However, some institutions admitted candidates who were not up to the admissible age of 16 outside CAPS and even collected huge sums of money from them as tuition fees,” JAMB stated.

The Board noted that all such admissions were illegal and could not be processed through CAPS, adding that some of these cases had led to litigation against the offending institutions.

The 16-year minimum admission age comes after last year’s controversy, when former Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, faced backlash from stakeholders over his attempt to raise the benchmark to 18, a move many said was criticised.

In a related development, JAMB announced that beginning with the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), each candidate’s result slip will now include their national ranking among peers.

The initiative, according to the Board, is aimed at discouraging the celebration of high UTME scores in isolation and curbing the spread of fake scores.

“To curb the menace of celebrating top scorers of UTME, candidates’ ranking (position) will be indicated on the result slip for each candidate,” the Board explained.

JAMB stated that this measure would assist institutions in better evaluating the quality of applicants and provide a standardised reference point across cohorts.

By publishing ranking information, JAMB believes that candidates parading falsified scores would also be discouraged, and institutions would gain a clearer sense of the academic standing of each applicant.

For context, the Board revealed that in the 2025 UTME, out of a total of 1,905,539 candidates, a score of 370 is ranked 16th, 320 is ranked 5,806th, 250 is ranked 107,819th, 200 is ranked 533,805th, 180 is ranked 948,025th, 140 is ranked 1,855,607th, 120 is ranked 1,900,872nd, while 100 is ranked 1,903,661st.

JAMB reiterated its commitment to equity, transparency, and merit-based admissions in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

The ongoing policy meeting, attended by vice-chancellors, registrars, and provosts of tertiary institutions nationwide, is expected to conclude with the approval of admission cut-off marks and other regulatory guidelines for the 2025 academic session.

Featured

Glo Rolls Out Three Unique Products to Excite Customers

Published

15 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Eric

Digital solutions company, Globacom, has moved to excite its customers with the launch of three innovative products which also offer amazing rewards to users.

The products are Animation World Promo, Sport Brain, and Treasure Spin. In addition to offering subscribers content designed for varying interests, they also empower them with instant prizes including cash, airtime and data.

Giving details of the offerings in a press statement released in Lagos on Tuesday, Globacom said that everyday 20 participants will win ₦1,000 cash each, along with additional rewards including ₦1,000 worth of airtime and 3.5GB data. Every week, five lucky winners will go home with ₦100,000 each, while a grand monthly winner will be rewarded with ₦1 million, the company added.

According to Globacom, Animation World Promo is a trivia-based service that challenges subscribers’ knowledge of Nigerian cuisine. Participants are invited to answer fun, food-related questions, earn points, and unlock exciting rewards, making it a deliciously engaging way to learn and win.

On the other hand, Sport Brain is an interactive football-prediction game that allows subscribers to forecast match scores across top global leagues. Users can select their preferred leagues and fixtures, test their football instincts, and stand a chance to win exciting prizes, making it a perfect experience for football enthusiasts.

The third offering, Treasure Spin, avails subscribers the thrill of a digital treasure hunt. With each spin, users have the opportunity to win instant rewards, turning every participation into a potentially rewarding adventure.

On how to access the services, Globacom said subscribers are required to dial *13055*2# for Animation World Promo, *13199*2# for Sport Brain, and *13199*3# for Treasure Spin. Each service is available under flexible subscription options, including a daily plan for ₦100, a weekly plan for ₦300, and a monthly plan for ₦500. These plans can be activated either as a one-time purchase or through auto-renewal, depending on the subscriber’s preference.

The three services, Globacom added, are available to all Glo prepaid and postpaid subscribers nationwide. It noted that the services reflect its commitment to delivering innovative and engaging value-added solutions to its customers across the country.