Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has joined Nigerians calling for justice over the death of 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni, who was tortured by fellow students at Dowen College, Lagos. 

“We shall be failing in our duties as parents/guardians, administrators, security agencies and government if we do not get to the bottom of the case of late Sylvester Oromoni.

“It is beholden upon us to enthrone a safe environment in our schools. #Justiceforsylvester,” Mr Abubakar tweeted on Friday evening. 

Dowen College, located in Lagos, has been in the public eye following the death of 12-year-old student, Sylvester Oromoni, who had been tortured for refusing to join a cult group.

Ahead of the school being shut down indefinitely by the Lagos state government, Dowen College had shut down its activities, directing students and staff to stay away from the school.

In an email sent to parents and guardians, the management asked students to stay at home on Friday and Monday.

There had been calls for the school to be shut down after a relative of the deceased, Perrison Oromoni, claimed the 12-year-old, a JS2 student, died after he was tortured for refusing to join a cult group at the college.

Dowen College’s management had denied that cult members tortured the boy.

A video of his final moments showed that young Oromoni had multiple injuries on his body, including bloodied swollen lips.

The school management, in a statement released on Thursday, said the late Oromoni had complained of pains in the hip on November 22 but felt better after medications were administered at the school’s sickbay.

It admitted that his parents were summoned to get further medical care but claimed that “no part of the body was injured after X-rays were conducted.”