The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA has commended the Lagos State Government for shutting down the Dowen College indefinitely, following the death of 12-year-old student, Sylvester Oromoni Junior.

In a statement made available to DAILY POST on Friday, the rights group called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration to follow such proactive step by closing down Premiere Academy Lugbe Abuja found in similar circumstances whereby a 14-year-old female Student was raped to death.

The rights group also asked the Federal Attorney General, the Minister of Education and the Lagos State’s Attorney General and Education Commission to jointly conduct a transparent investigation on the unexplained death of the 12-year-old student.

“We call on the honourable Attorney General of the Federation, the ministers of Education, Lagos State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Education to intervene in the alleged gruesome murder of 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni Junior by suspected student cultists in Dowen college, who died after an alleged encounter with some of his Co-students.

“The Federal and Lagos State’s administrations need to do this by activating transparent, open and credible mechanisms to probe the remote, immediate circumstantial and factual reasons for the death of the innocent student.

“The governments need to do this to assure the citizens and the World that school children are guaranteed their Human Rights and are protected from unwarranted bullying, torture, physical assaults, rape and murder by either their fellow students or management staff”.

HURIWA further stated that the silence of the FG’s relevant “officials aforementioned is sending a signal to the rest of the world that students are exposed to physical violence and that the federal government failed in its obligation to care for and protect children”.

The rights group said it was gratifying that the Lagos State Government has acted timeously to investigate the matter, warning the government not to “sacrifice the victim on the altar of political patronage since the Parents of the suspected killers named by the victim are said to be wealthy and had reportedly taken those kids to a foreign jurisdiction soon after their victim of persistent bullying and torture had died”.

The Rights group said the killing of the Dowen Student coming a few months after another 14-year-old female student was sexually violated and murdered including the incessant kidnappings by terrorists of students without the Federal government ever bringing the culprits to justice, has demonstrated a systemic failure on the part of the central government to carry out the most fundamental duty of government which is the protection of lives and property.

HURIWA recalled that a 12-year-old boy, Sylvester Oromoni, Jr, was allegedly beaten to death in a privately-owned Lagos school for refusing to join a cult.

A Twitter user identified as Perrie (@perrisonoromoni) on Wednesday claimed the victim was his cousin.

“This is my 12-years-old cousin that was beaten to death at a school that cost over 1 million naira,” Perrie posted on Twitter, attaching the tweet with the photo of the deceased.

“They called my uncle saying he got injured playing football. Reaching the hospital, it was confirmed that he was being bullied and beaten up causing internal damages. They tried to put him in a cult, he refused and they killed him. [In a] secondary school. They literally beat him to death,” he tweeted.

“We’re from Delta State, but he goes to a boarding school in Lekki. They called my uncle because his son was injured when he was playing football. Reaching the hospital, it was confirmed that he was being bullied and beaten up, causing internal damages,” the relative disclosed.

“After tests and X-rays, it was confirmed he was beaten up badly. He died yesterday (Tuesday) morning, and his entire body was swollen,” he said.

Asked if the deceased had previously complained about pressures to join a cult group, @Perrisonoromoni stated that the young Oromoni only informed his parents while in the hospital. Before his death, he reportedly said the school’s cult members threatened to kill him if he reported them. Before passing, he said they’d been pressuring him to join a cult. He was admitted on Friday. He said they were going to kill him if he talked.”

HURIWA recalled that the deceased was also said to have mentioned a few names of the students who pressured him to join their cult group before he died.

A Dowen College representative, Ms Ayomide Falona, said she could not give details on the matter as investigations are ongoing but denied that the school harboured cult members.

HURIWA lamented that a sinister pattern is emerging of school children being raped, tortured or killed just as the Rights group mentioned a related case of Keren-Happuch, a 14-year-old who was reportedly raped at a private school in Abuja.

HURIWA has now urged the Federal government to take every step to ensure that school children are protected just as the Rights group tasked the Minister of FCT to follow the good examples of Lagos state government by shutting down indefinitely the Premiere Academy Abuja until satisfactory outcomes about the untimely deaths of these school children are ascertained to its logical conclusion.