Posted by Niger Delta Youth Council
The Niger-Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has faulted the chilling advice of the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) over the death of Sylvester Oromoni.
In a statement signed by the National Coordinator of NDYC, Engr. Jator Abido and made available to journalists, the group described the purported advice as shocking and not a substitute for justice.
“We are sad to note that there is a collusion between some officials of the Lagos State government judiciary, parents of the suspects and the management of Dowen College to sweep under the carpet a clear case of murder perpetrated by an institution and persons who are supposed to be moulding the moral conscience of young people. To try and cover this instead of taking responsibility and facing justice is ignoble and appalling”, the statement said.
While agreeing with the lawyer for the deceased family that the advice is hasty and should not be a barrier to justice, the group insists that all men of goodwill and lovers of justice must rise to ensure that the cover-up and legal shenanigans must be defeated.
Similarly, the inquest into the death of the 11- year old as requested by the Chief Coroner of Lagos State must be concluded before anyone can make bold claims.
“To hastily conclude that the autopsy conducted by the Lagos Sate University Teaching Hospital and other tests do not immediately identify the cause of death as murder is to say in clear terms that either the autopsy was not done properly or the University lacks the basics tools needed to carry out the job. The gruesome way Sylvester died can not be explained otherwise. Therefore, a new autopsy should be conducted and DPP should assign another impartial judge to advise the government on the case to assuage the anger of Niger Deltans and Nigerians at large”, the statement added.
It further noted that “the family of Sylvester Oromoni is in pain and the least that can be done to help them find closure is to find the culprits and bring them to book. Schools should be safe places for teaching and learning and not avenues for bullying and murder. Any school, students or teachers found wanting should be sacked, withdrawn and the school closed in addition to punitive jail terms to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We must not play politics with the lives of our children and cover-up businesses that threaten the sanity and continuity of our society. The murder of a teenager should worry us all and not be used by wicked people to enrich themselves. Corruption and collusion at any level in other to bury the truth no matter how ugly must be resisted to build a healthy and safe society for generations to come. Until the case is reassigned and justice served, we’ll not keep quiet”, the statement added.