By Lukman Olabiyi
A medical doctor with Dowen College, Dr. Mojisola Bisiriyu, yesterday, narrated her encounter with the late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr before a Coroner inquest.
Dr. Bisiriyu, in her testimony, stated that she only treated the deceased for hip pain and not leg injury. She held that the deceased did not have any leg injury when she saw him.
The medical doctor, who said that she has worked with Dowen College for over five years, made the revelation in the ongoing inquest into the controversial death of the 12-year-old student of the Dowen College student, Oromoni, while being cross-examined by Mr. Femi Falana, SAN.
Bisiriyu said: “As the school doctor, my duty is to take care of students in the school and for whatever we see that demands attention, we usually call the parents.
“I saw the deceased on November 22, 2021. He came in with pain on his right side and that was what I saw him for. I spoke with the deceased’s mother, Mrs Oromoni, to come pick her son for further treatment, and they came the next day. I didn’t refer him to our partner hospital in Lekki because his case was not considered an emergency.”
While answering questions from Mr Izuchukwu Ohadinma, the doctor further said she was surprised that the deceased parent didn’t take him to any hospital after they took him away from the school. She maintained that she did not refer the deceased to the hospital because he was not in any critical condition at the time he visited the sick bay.
Earlier, a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Bamidele Olusegun, while being cross-examined by the counsel representing Dowen Colleges, Mr Anthony Kpokpo, confirmed to the coroner court that he found nothing in his investigation on the murder case of Oromoni against the students that were accused to have assaulted him. He added that part of his report stated that although the three house masters were negligent and passive when cases of inadequate behaviour were reported to them, yet he found nothing in his investigation regarding the murder case of the deceased against the house masters.
CSP Olusegun also told the court that the suspected students were in custody for 14 days, but he only visited them once. He also said that none of them confirmed to him, during the interrogation, that the deceased was beaten or bullied on November 21, 2021.
While answering questions from the presiding Magistrate, Mr. Mikhail Kadiri, on whether he conducted a thorough investigation, the witness answered in the affirmative.
He added that when he visited the deceased’s room at Dowen College, he recalled that it had seven occupants, but he could, however, not interview all the students because the school was closed.
“I was able to speak to only four out of the seven students in the room, other students could not be interviewed because their parents said they were too traumatised by the incident to speak.”