A Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Bamidele Olusegun on Monday told a Coroner magistrate presided by Mikhail Kadiri that he couldn't recollect if any of the witnesses he interrogated told him that late Sylvester Oromoni jnr was injured on November 14.
He however, said he couldn’t recall if any witness he interrogated during his investigations told him that the deceased was injured on the 14th of November 2021.
CSP Olusegun, who said he was serving with in the homicide section of the Lagos State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti section in 2021 made this disclosure while being cross-examined by Mr. Femi Falana, SAN in the ongoing inquest into the controversial death of 12-year-old student of the Dowen College student, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr.
The inquest was set up with the principal aims of determining when, where and how late Sylvester died. The defense have continued to maintain that there was no evidence of beating on the body of late Sylvester when he was picked up from the school or from the autopsy reports.
The Police witness told the court that he received a report from the DPP dated December 30, 2021 which was called Interim Legal Advice recommending that the staff should be prosecuted for alleged negligence.
The witness also told the senior lawyer that he received another legal advice dated January 4. He said: “We sent one dated December 23, this was the last report we sent."
Falana further showed the witness the interim report dated December 30, 2021 and while reading the last paragraph, the witness said: “There are sufficient facts to establish this offense against Mrs. Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusegun and Mr. Adeyemi and Dowen College."
The witness further affirmed that he conducted a thorough investigation on the matter. He said he was aware that the police protested that they were not allowed to conclude investigation on the matter.
When the witness was showed a protest letter written to the Chief Judge of Lagos State by the Police, on the development of the investigation, the witness identified the letter.
A portion of the letter that was read by the witness in the court stated that: “It came as a rude shock that the investigation was not allowed to be carried out."
He also said the suspects were not brought back to the station for the conclusion of the investigation.
Olusegun also said: “During investigation, one of the suspects informed me that the deceased was bullied. Another one also told me that he was taken to the third floor to be tortured.”
The witness also affirmed that the deceased's sister told him that he was bullied sometime in October 2021 and that the boy who allegedly bullied him was not punished for the act. “She also confirmed to me that they bullied her brother because they wanted him to described her private parts.
“I wouldn’t know if the deceased was taken to the sick bay in October when he was bullied.
He also confirmed that a female parent of another student also reported a case of bullying against her son by some students at Maroko police station.
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He however said he could only speak to Benjamin Favour because the school was under lock during his investigation.
Narrating his involvement in the investigation, the police witness said: “On 3rd of December, a petition forwarded to my office was assigned to me and the school was already closed down by then.
On 6th December, we were at Maroko police station, where we met the Principal, and the suspect. We took them down to Panti and obtained statements from the accused and the other management staff. We proceeded to a Yaba Magistrate’s court to get a remand order and the house master was detained with us while the children were remanded at Oregun correctional home.
“The deceased's father’s statement was taken on 9th of December while the Lagos State Attorney General and the Lagos State Commissioner for Education were put on the phone during the interview with the parties.
“I recollect that I went to Warri to bring the corpse to Lagos and I had an interaction with the doctor and the consultant pathologists.
“We arrived in Lagos January 13 with the corpse of the deceased while the autopsy was performed the next day. Before then, letters were dispatched to the parties asking them to be in attendance or send a representative during the autopsy. I later proceeded to Abuja to speak with one of the witnesses. I also recollect that we visited the school on fact-finding and it was opened to us. I remember that the doctor at the school hospital, Dr. Moji confirmed that she attended to the deceased between December 21st and 22nd.
“She confirmed to me that she asked the nurse to massage the deceased's legs and that paracetamol was also administered on him.”
When asked if the school has CCTV cameras, he said: “Absolutely no. There were no CCTV cameras in the school."
The DPP, Mr. Babajide Martins, counsel representing Lagos and Mr. Anthony Kpokpo, who was representing Dowen College, Lagos however informed the court that the said legal advices tendered by the witness and which Mr. Falana SAN has cross-examined him with had not been front-loaded to them.
Kpokpo said : “It has become part of the deceased's family approach to present documents that have not been front-loaded. We will not be able to continue with the cross-examination as a result of the surprises being pulled on us.
“This is regrettable,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Babajide Martins led CSP Bamidele Olusegun in examination in chief.
