The Lagos State Government has acquitted five students and five employees of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, fingered in the death of 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni, a former student.

The decision, Channels reports, was taken following the advice of Adetutu Oshinusi, the Director of Public Prosecution.

Oshinusi’s legal advice was addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), and the trial magistrate, Olatunbosun Adeola.

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According to the advice, the interim and final autopsy and toxicology reports issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and the Central Hospital, Warri, agreed that the causes of Sylvester’s death were septicaemia, lobar pneumonia with acute pyelonephritis, pyomyositis of the right ankle and acute bacteria pneumonia due to severe sepsis.

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The DPP concluded that based on these findings, there is no prima facie case of murder, involuntary manslaughter and or malicious administering of poison with intent to harm against the five students; Favour Benjamin, 16, Micheal Kashamu, 15, Edward Begue, 16, Ansel Temile, 14, and 15-year-old Kenneth Inyang.

The state also cleared the minors of belonging to unlawful society due to insufficient facts to establish the offence.

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A statement by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice reads, “From available facts in the duplicate case file, the investigation carried out by the police did not reveal that any secret society name, tattoo or insignia of any unlawful society was found in the possession of any of the suspects during the investigation carried out by the police.

“To hold otherwise would amount to sniffing for an offence and a speculative act which is not permitted in law. It is trite law that suspicion no matter how grave cannot be a ground for conviction”.

The state also cleared the school and five employees, Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun and one Adeyemi, of ‘negligent act causing harm contrary to section 252 of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State 2015”.

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Therefore, the state directed that all the suspects be released if they were still in custody.