Parents and family members of late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr. of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, marked his 12th birthday on Saturday, December 4, 2021.
His painful exit on Tuesday notwithstanding, the father had earlier revealed plans to celebrate Sylvester’s first posthumous birthday.
“We will celebrate his birthday on the 4th of December (today). Please, tell Nigerians to join us,” the father had said.
Keeping to their words, the family marked Sylvester’s birthday as the father sent pictures of the celebration to The PUNCH.
Reports had emerged that Oromoni was bullied and beaten by fellow students. The supposed injuries from the beating led to his death, according to a Twitter user with the handle @perrisonoromoni, who claimed to be the boy’s cousin.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, the school denied all allegations stating that Oromoni was neither bullied nor beaten but only complained of hip pain after playing football.
Contrary to the school’s statement, the victim’s cousin rolled out photos and video evidence, which corroborated the fact that the child was bullied and beaten; an action that led to his death.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Ministry of Education has ordered the indefinite closure of the school, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Celebrities and Nigerians on social media have demanded justice for the late Sylvester and have rolled out the hashtag #justiceforsylvester to voice out their agitations.
#Punch Newspaper
