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Sylvester Oromoni Snr, the father of a Junior Secondary School two pupil of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, has vowed to delay the burial of his son until justice is served.
Sylvester Snr, said this in an interview on Saturday, during the 12th birthday posthumously held by the family on Saturday during which a cake designed as airplane and pilot uniform was cut in memory of his ambition.
About 100 people were present at the posthumous birthday celebration marked with two cakes and a large picture frame of the late Sylvester in various poses.
He said his son would not be buried until justice was served – no matter how long it takes.
He said, “How can he be buried? I cannot bury him until I get justice, until I get to the end of the matter. Even if it takes two or three years, we would be going on. I pray God keep us alive.”
The father said, “For his birthday today (Saturday), we cut the cakes, displayed his pictures and prayed for his soul to rest in peace. We also went for a church programme after cutting the birthday cakes.
“His sister based in the United State of America asked one of her friends to bake a pilot-themed cake for his birthday because he had always wanted to be a pilot.”
Sylvester Snr however said he would miss his son’s rapport, smiles, love, presence and company.
He said, “Anytime he comes on holiday and I am at home, he is always all over me. We eat together, he asks questions a lot; he is very inquisitive. He can operate his laptop very well and I don’t know how to do that so he guides me on how to do it.”
The news of Sylvester Jnr’s death went viral on Wednesday following a social media post by his cousin, Perry Oromoni, who alleged that some senior pupils of the college beat him up in his hostel room for refusing to join a cult.
But the school denied the claim, stating that the boy complained of pain in his legs and hip following an injury he sustained while playing football.
The Lagos State Government had shut down the school indefinitely to ensure thorough investigation.
Also celebrating the posthumous birthday on her Instagram page, a Nigerian actress, Tonto Dikeh, said she would “drop flowers and gifts” at the school’s gate.
She also posted a video of a man dropping a bouquet of flowers and a Teddy bear at the school’s gate and a card with the words, “Happy birthday Captain Sylvester. Rest in Peace Champ! You are celebrated. King Tonto.”
Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has backed the indefinite closure of the school.
Okowa, in a Facebook post on Saturday morning, expressed sadness over the incident and condoled with the family of the deceased.
Okowa wrote, “Last night, I spoke to Mr. Sylvester Oromoni, the father of the late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, the Dowen College student who unfortunately died under very controversial and unclear circumstances.
“During the call, I expressed my agreement with the decision of the Lagos State Government to launch an investigation into the death of Sylvester, a native of Warri South LGA in Delta State.
“As a government that places priority on the lives of our citizens within and outside the state, we are determined to pursue this case to the end. The matter must be investigated, perpetrators apprehended, punished to serve as a very strong deterrence against future occurrences.”
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