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Sylvester’s torturers won’t escape justice – Father of late Dowen College pupil

Published

5 years ago

December 5, 2021

Sylvester Oromimi Jnr

Delta-based businessman, Sylvester Oromimi, lost his son, Sylvester Jnr, after some senior students at the Dowen College, Lagos, allegedly tortured him. He tells GODFREY GEORGE how the family is coping after the death of the 12-year-old and their search for justice

Please briefly tell us about yourself?

My name is Mr Slyvester Oromimi. I am a businessman. I am from Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. I am Ijaw by tribe.

Your 12-year-old son reportedly died after being allegedly tortured by his seniors in a boarding school. Can you give us an account of what really happened?

My late son’s name is Sylvester Oromimi Jnr. I gave him my name. Sometime in October this year, my son complained that they (school authorities) put the senior and the junior students in one room. So, these senior boys, whom he shared a room with, would harass him and physically assault him. Each time I gave him money for upkeep – most times, N60,000 – it would not last up to a week. He would call home and start crying that he was hungry and needed more money. I was no longer comfortable. ‘What is really happening to this boy in that school?’ I kept wondering. When I asked him, he refused to say anything. He always acted like he was being threatened not to talk. We kept on buying more provisions. They would steal his clothes and his money. He started keeping his money with his hostel master, one Mr Ahmed.

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Another time, these senior students cornered him and asked if he had seen the private parts of his elder sister who had just passed out of the school. They told him to describe what her private parts looked like. He said he had not seen that before and could not give any description. They started to torture him. When the beating became too much, he then said that he had seen the sister’s private parts, so they would stop beating him. Those were the first instances.

When this incident happened, did he report to the school authorities?

He first told his younger sister (also a student in the school) about it. The younger sister then called her elder sister, who had just passed out of the school, and reported that Sylvester was behaving funny and it seemed like some people were beginning to influence him. So, the elder sister called him and scolded him, wanting to hear his own side of the story. He told the sister that they beat him. She asked, “Who are ‘they’?” He mentioned their names. He said that was the reason he said he saw her nakedness so that they would stop beating him.

News had filtered around the school that Sylvester said he had seen his sister’s private parts and all that. It was really embarrassing, which was why the elder sister called a relative who went to the school on the day of a midterm break. When the relative picked Sylvester up, she found out from their conversation that some seniors had beaten him up. But when the elder sister was there, we didn’t get any such reports of beatings.

Before now, there was an incident that happened involving one of the boys in this latest incident. The incident happened before the elder sister finished from the school. She was the one who told me about it. It was a minor senior-junior case. You know some of these people can be very power-drunk; the fact that they are seniors gets into their heads and messes them up. The Michael boy was in SS1 then. This Michael and his group had wanted to harass Sylvester but some of the classmates of the elder sister saved him. Maybe, after the elder finally passed out of the school, these boys felt it was their time for revenge on Sylvester.

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Did you report this to the school?

Yes, we did. We called the guardian, Mr Ahmed, first to ask him how come he was unaware of all of the things that happened to my son. The school’s response was that they had suspended these seniors who bullied Sylvester. So, we let the matter rest. We didn’t ask again because we thought that was the appropriate treatment.

What happened next?

Sylvester went back to school, and the school authorities moved him from that hostel because of that complaint. So, he was not staying with those senior boys again. The incident that finally led to his demise began on Monday (November 22). The school’s sickbay (manager) called my wife that Sylvester was not feeling well, that he couldn’t sleep throughout the night. They asked that she should come and pick him up. When she asked them what happened, they said, “He said he fell. He said he was playing football and fell.” We don’t know how this happened till today.

They said it was Sylvester that told them that he was playing football at the basketball court and fell. We later learnt that the school did not have a proper field, so students play soccer on the basketball court.

The first thing he (Sylvester) told us was that someone ‘kicked his leg’ when he was playing. All these things he was telling us, he did so, as we later learnt, because he was scared of those senior students, who had threatened to kill him if he told his parents or the school authorities what really transpired.

When did your wife go to pick him up?

By the time they called that Monday it was already late for my wife to travel to Lagos, so we told the school that a friend of the family would come to pick him up. The following day, the family friend, a young man, went to pick him up and when he saw Sylvester, he was surprised. He quickly called us and told us that our son could not walk, that if they touched him, he would shout in pain. His lips had also begun to peel. The pictures are everywhere.

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Initially, we thought it was fever or malaria since we hadn’t seen him physically as we were still in Delta State. He was taken for an X-ray because he could not walk. On Wednesday, one of my older sons went from Warri to join them in Lagos to really ascertain what the situation was. It was when he got there that he realised that it was serious and requested that I join them in Lagos.

I was in Asaba at the time and it was already late that day, so I joined them the following day, which was Thursday. When I saw Sylvester, as a father, I couldn’t bear it; I asked if I could move him to Warri for proper treatment. I asked him to tell me what had happened, Sylvester kept saying, “I fell!”

But before he could even manage to say that he would tremble. I knew that was not his real self; something was not right about him. He was being threatened. He couldn’t move; he couldn’t eat. We had to assist him to the toilet. Any part of his body you touched, he would shout.

Since there was no flight that day, we had to go by the road. That was Friday. I called a masseur to check him up, but that one said there were no dislocations. But my son’s waist and ribs were physically swollen. His chest and shoulders were also swollen. When we got to the hospital and the doctor took a sample, he said Sylvester was having fever and malaria. But my son kept shouting, “My throat! My throat!”

We treated him for malaria till Sunday but he still couldn’t walk, sleep or eat. It was the drip they gave him that sustained him for those days. On Monday, it became so severe between of 11pm and 12pm. That was when he opened up to us. He said he was scared, that the senior boys had threatened to kill him if he exposed them.

Sylvester said he was in his room one night and some five senior boys entered the room and put off the light. He said they beat him with a belt and kicked him till he fell to the ground. When he did, they continued to torture him. After the beating, they forced him to drink something and he did. He couldn’t explain what it was. This explains the peeling of his mouth.

What did you do next?

We had to take him for a scan and another X-ray which showed that he had a swollen liver and some of his internal organs were also swollen. The next day, I took him to the teaching hospital. Before we got to Warri, he had given up the ghost. So, we couldn’t take him to the hospital again.

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Did he mention the names of these boys before his death?

Yes, he did.

Did you take this up with the school?

My eldest son who is abroad contacted the school immediately to register his complaint. He called Mr Ahmed, and he said Ahmed was crying. They took the phone to the principal of the school and mentioned that he wanted to speak to those boys. He was then questioning them, and since it was a video call, he was able to capture their faces in a screenshot.

What was the response of the school?

They called the boys to question them and they gave the same lie my son had been telling before his passing – he fell. The school chose to believe these lies without due investigation. You must have seen their press statement. That is what they maintained until we started sending out these videos and pictures we made of Sylvester when we saw him. The principal called me, asking why I was sending out these pictures all over social media. The Lagos State Government also asked about the videos and we sent them. The boys still refuse to say the truth even in the face of striking evidence.

I heard one of them jumped over the fence yesterday (Thursday). The other boy’s parents, as I heard, came in with a very long convoy around 5am and took him away. The boy carried all his things and joined his parents, who were waiting in the car. I don’t know how true that is, but that was the information my sources fed me with. They feel they are big men. The school authorities would provide them when the time comes. They should keep running. After killing my son, they want to run away. I am just thankful that my son, before he gave up the ghost, mentioned their names. If they allow them to escape, this means they are encouraging that kind of nonsense in their school.

What are your demands?

I want justice. They should invite those boys. They should invite the school authorities. The government should question them and take action.

The Lagos State Government ordered the closure of the school on Friday. How does this make you feel?

I feel happy because that is the first thing to be done as there are other innocent people’s children in that place. If anything happens to those children, I won’t be happy. That I lost my own son does not mean that other people should die. It is also good that they have ordered a probe into the incident to ascertain what really went wrong.

How best would you describe your son?

My son was a very decent boy from a deeply-rooted Christian background. He was not the first child that I sent to Dowen College, Lagos. I had four of them attend that school of which two had finished. The very first one who left is presently abroad. The other one just sat this last WASSCE and she’s here with me. The other one should be in SS1. I asked that he be withdrawn from the school two days ago. Sylvester was the last boy.

How is your wife taking all of this?

She can hear you but she is almost crying. All of us couldn’t sleep. We had to take sleeping pills before we could sleep last night. It has been a really tough time for the family. That boy was our star and light, such a lovely young boy. When I look at the picture I took with him just two months ago when my daughter graduated, it breaks me.

Punch

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PFICP scandal: How ₦1.3bn ‘fake agency’ traced to Buhari’s government entered 2026 budget

Published

3 hours ago

July 25, 2026

Trends Admin

PFICP scandal: How ₦1.3bn ‘fake agency’ traced to Buhari’s government entered 2026 budget

The Budget Office of the Federation has disclosed that the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) — now declared fake and under investigation — originated from institutional records linked to the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, made this known while appearing before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the matter. He explained that although ₦1.302 billion was appropriated for the council in the 2026 budget, not a single kobo was released because statutory spending controls prevented the funds from ever being accessed.

Providing a detailed account of how the PFIPC found its way into the 2026 budget, Yakubu traced the council’s institutional origin to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), which President Buhari inaugurated on October 9, 2019. By the time the 2026 budget preparations began, official government instruments had already been issued by key institutions. The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation had assigned an administrative budget code to the PFIPC, while the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had approved an authorised establishment and a recruitment waiver. Yakubu emphasised that the Budget Office did not create the council or approve its establishment — it merely acted on official documents received from other government institutions. In his words, “The Budget Office did not create the Council. It did not assign its code. It did not approve its establishment. It did not grant its recruitment waiver. It received official instruments and did what the law required of it: it measured their fiscal effect.”

Giving a breakdown of how the ₦1.302 billion allocation was calculated, Yakubu disclosed that the PFIPC initially requested ₦3.85 billion for personnel costs, but the Budget Office independently calculated a reduced figure of ₦802,978,783. This amount, which represented 61.63 per cent of the total ₦1.302 billion appropriation, was based strictly on the authorised establishment, the approved recruitment waiver, the applicable public-service salary structure, and the extant costing methodology. The overhead component stood at ₦200 million, while capital expenditure was set at ₦300 million. Despite the full appropriation of ₦1.302 billion, not a single kobo was disbursed to the council.

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Explaining why the money was never released, Yakubu stated that despite the appropriation, the council could not access the funds because the Budget Office withheld Financial Clearance — the mandatory approval required before recruitment, payroll enrolment, or salary payments can commence. He clarified that two conditions remained incomplete: first, the 2026 Appropriation Bill only became law on March 31, 2026, meaning final clearance could not be issued before presidential assent; second, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had not confirmed that the proposed staffing and remuneration arrangements complied with the approved public-service compensation framework. Yakubu stressed that “There was no Financial Clearance. There was no lawful recruitment. There was no payroll enrollment. There was no salary payment. Not one kobo of the personnel provision could lawfully have been drawn. Not one kobo was drawn.” The overhead allocation of ₦200 million could not be released because it required treasury warrants and cash backing from the Federal Ministry of Finance, while the capital allocation of ₦300 million never progressed beyond appropriation because no procurement plan was initiated, no tenders board approved any project, and no Certificate of No Objection was issued by the Bureau of Public Procurement.

The scandal surrounding how a ‘fake agency’ gained official recognition became public on June 11, 2026, when the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, declared the council fake and petitioned law enforcement agencies. Subsequent investigations revealed that the PFIPC had secured office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, that the Central Bank of Nigeria opened two foreign currency accounts — one in US dollars and another in British pounds — on the directive of the Office of the Accountant-General, and that the agency was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budget of ₦1.302 billion. It was also discovered that the self-declared Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, presented forged appointment letters and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee. On July 7, 2026, President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report within 30 days.

In the midst of counterclaims and the ongoing investigation, before his arrest, Adeniyi Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila received ₦400 million through a proxy and demanded an additional ₦200 million to secure his appointment. The Chief of Staff has denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit seeking ₦15 billion in damages. The ICPC investigation is now examining forged appointment letters and official documents, the use of false presidential claims to obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, the opening of multiple bank accounts using allegedly forged documents, the role of public officers, private individuals, and financial institutions that may have facilitated the scheme, as well as broader weaknesses in government procedures that may have been exploited. The Budget Office has maintained that the episode demonstrates the strength of Nigeria’s public financial management system, as the controls held firm and prevented any actual loss of public funds.

PFICP scandal: How ₦1.3bn ‘fake agency’ traced to Buhari’s government entered 2026 budget

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INEC urges eligible Nigerians to complete Continuous Voter Registration as deadline ends Sunday

Published

4 hours ago

July 25, 2026

Trends Admin

INEC urges eligible Nigerians to complete Continuous Voter Registration as deadline ends Sunday

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a final appeal to eligible Nigerians to complete their Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) before the exercise officially closes on Sunday, July 26, 2026, warning that no further registrations will be accepted after the deadline unless a new exercise is announced.

In a notice published on its official X account, the electoral commission reminded prospective voters that the remaining hours present the last opportunity to register ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging citizens not to wait until the deadline expires.

“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” the commission stated.

INEC explained that eligible Nigerians can complete the registration process through its dedicated online CVR portal or visit any designated registration centre nationwide for physical assistance.

According to the commission, all INEC State Offices, Local Government Area (LGA) offices and approved registration centres will remain open daily, including weekends, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. until the exercise closes.

The electoral body encouraged citizens requiring assistance to visit the nearest registration centre to complete their enrolment before the deadline.

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The Continuous Voter Registration exercise is designed to register Nigerians who have recently attained the age of 18, first-time voters who have never enrolled, citizens seeking to transfer their voting location after relocating, and registered voters who need to correct or update their personal information.

The exercise also allows registered voters to replace lost, stolen or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) without undergoing fresh registration, while those who have changed their place of residence can apply for a transfer to a more convenient polling location.

INEC has repeatedly advised Nigerians against multiple registrations, warning that duplicate registrations are prohibited under the Electoral Act and could lead to the cancellation of affected records during the commission’s verification process.

The commission said the nationwide registration exercise forms a crucial part of its preparations for the 2027 general elections, as the updated national register of voters will determine those eligible to participate in presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections.

The electoral umpire has continued to expand access to voter registration through digital technology, enabling eligible Nigerians to initiate or complete the process online before biometric verification where required. The initiative is aimed at reducing congestion at registration centres and improving the efficiency of voter enrolment nationwide.

Election stakeholders have described voter registration as one of the most critical stages of Nigeria’s democratic process, noting that citizens who fail to register before the deadline may be unable to vote in the 2027 elections until another registration window is announced by the commission.

Civil society organisations have also urged young Nigerians, persons with disabilities and other eligible citizens who have yet to register to take advantage of the final hours of the exercise to ensure broader participation in future elections.

INEC reaffirmed its commitment to conducting free, fair and credible elections and encouraged Nigerians to actively participate in the electoral process by ensuring their voter registration details are complete and accurate before the registration portal closes.

With the deadline fast approaching, the commission urged all eligible citizens who are yet to register or update their voter records to act immediately, stressing that every eligible vote begins with successful registration.

INEC urges eligible Nigerians to complete Continuous Voter Registration as deadline ends Sunday

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Court grants Blessing CEO N20m bail in alleged N69.15m property fraud case

Published

4 hours ago

July 25, 2026

Trends Admin

Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO

Court grants Blessing CEO N20m bail in alleged N69.15m property fraud case

Social media personality and relationship coach Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has been granted N20 million bail by a Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja in her ongoing trial over an alleged N69.15 million property fraud.

Justice Rahman Oshodi, who presided over the case, admitted the defendant to bail with two sureties in like sum, ruling that although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not oppose the application, the court was still required to independently evaluate the nature of the charges, the applicable law and the likelihood of the defendant standing trial before exercising its discretion.

In delivering the ruling, the judge also considered submissions by the defence regarding the whereabouts of Blessing CEO’s international passport after her legal team informed the court that the travel document had been misplaced and presented supporting evidence.

As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that each surety must provide evidence of financial capacity, including a three-year bank statement or proof of fixed deposits valued at not less than N20 million. The defendant and her sureties are also required to undergo verification through the Lagos State Judiciary’s Bail Information Management System (BIMS) before the bail can be perfected.

Justice Oshodi further directed the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to place the defendant on a travel watch list pending the determination of the case, effectively restricting her from leaving Nigeria without the court’s approval.

The matter was subsequently adjourned until October 12, 2026, for the continuation of trial.

The EFCC arraigned Blessing CEO on June 9, 2026, on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing, offences she allegedly committed in connection with a property transaction in Lagos. She pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to her.

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According to the anti-graft agency, Blessing CEO allegedly obtained N69.15 million from Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited in March 2025 after allegedly representing that she could secure a five-year lease of a property located in Lekki, Lagos.

The prosecution alleged that the representation was false and that the money was dishonestly obtained under the guise of facilitating the property transaction.

The EFCC further argued that the alleged offences contravene Section 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State and Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.

During the bail proceedings, the prosecution maintained that it was prepared to proceed with trial, while the defence urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms, arguing that the defendant had cooperated with investigators and remained willing to attend all court proceedings.

The court ultimately ruled that the constitutional presumption of innocence entitled the defendant to bail, provided adequate conditions were imposed to ensure her appearance throughout the trial.

The case has attracted widespread public attention because of Blessing CEO’s prominence on social media, where she has built a large following through relationship advice, celebrity commentary and lifestyle content.

The latest proceedings also come as the influencer continues to face another pending criminal matter before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, where she is standing trial in a separate alleged fraud case involving about N36 million. Both cases remain before the courts, and no verdict has been delivered.

Legal analysts note that the outcome of the ongoing trial will depend entirely on the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence, while reiterating that under Nigerian law, every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.