Parents will hold a candlelight procession in honour of the late Sylvestre Oromoni.
Oromoni, 12, died last week after Dowen College students assaulted and poisoned him, his parents allege. The police have arrested three students in connection to the tragedy while two others remain at large.
The Lagos State Government, also, has sealed the school pending the conclusion of a multi-agency probe led by the education ministry.
Dowen College parents forum now says it will honour the late 12-year-old with a candlelight procession on December 8 (Wednesday).
This is according to a statement issued Tuesday.
“We are temporarily relieved by the swiftness with which the authorities intervened and commenced investigation towards unravelling the cause of Sylvester Oromoni’s death,” the statement reads.
“We urge the school management team and other stakeholders to fully cooperate with the authority in the ongoing investigation.
“While we would have loved to bring Sylvester back, if humanly possible, unravelling the cause of his death and bringing whoever was responsible or might have contributed in whatever way to book, will not only bring this unfortunate incident to closure for the family but will also serve as a deterrent to other juvenile delinquents in all schools in Nigeria.
“We, therefore, say justice for Sylvester is justice for all.
On our part as parents, we will work more closely with the school (management/board) to ensure that necessary measures are put in place to prevent the recurrence of this unfortunate incident and stamp out bullying in any form from the school.
“We will also continue to appeal to parents, through all available means, to show more interest in what their children do and who they associate within the school and at home.
“We appeal to the public to see this incident as an inflexion point, not only for Dowen College but also other schools in Nigeria, as recent events have shown that bullying, molestation and other vices among students are common in our schools.
“Therefore, we rely on the authorities for justice regardless of the social status of whoever is involved.
“Dowen College parents need this more, as we are currently in a fix and our children traumatised.
“What happened to Sylvester could have happened to any other child in the school. To many of the traumatised students, Sylvester was a classmate, a roommate, a schoolmate or a friend.
“We, therefore, earnestly ask for a resolution that will bring some relief to the bereaved family, other parents, students of Dowen College and the public.
“These should include a change of the school management and hostel teachers, installation of Closed Circuit Television cameras in all strategic places and overhauling of the school security system.
“The Parents’ Forum is organising a candlelight (procession) on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, by 6 pm at Dowen College, 18, Adebayo Doherty Road, Lekki, Lagos State.
“The lighting of candles is to pay tribute to a life ‘passed’, and keeping the light burning signifies that the memory still lives on and burns bright.
“The candlelight, no doubt, shall promote reflection and signifies remembrance of a life cut short in its infancy.
“We pray the Almighty God to comfort the Oromoni family during this trying period.”
