Peter Odewo-Oritse, an operations manager at Ken Ben Nig. Ltd., a company in Warri, Delta State owned by the father of late Sylvester Oromoni, said the deceased was not taken to a hospital despite a scan confirming he had an inflated liver.
While testifying before Magistrate Mikail Kadiri during a coroner’s inquest into Oromoni’s death held at the Epe Magistrate Court, Lagos, Odewo-Oritse confirmed the Oromoni family had obtained a scan result from St Louis Hospital, Ekurede, Urhobo, Warri, Delta State, where it was discovered the boy suffered liver enlargement. He told the coroner “they took him home” and not to a hospital.
Responding from the witness box to questions asked by Akande, one of Lagos State Government’s lawyers, he said the test was conducted on November 27, 2021, but the family did not visit a hospital.
He told the court that Oromoni was being treated for malaria by the family, despite the boy complaining of “severe body pain”.
In an earlier statement taken by the police, Odewo-Oritse said Oromoni arrived in Warri on November 26, 2021, and on the instruction of one Dr. Aghogho Owhojedo, he was taken for a scan, but it was not until November 30, 2021 that the family took him to the doctor for treatment.
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Oromoni, a 12-year-old student at Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, passed away on the same day he was eventually taken to the hospital.
Earlier, FIJ reported that his guardian, Clifford Tejere, told the coroner that after picking up the boy from school, he did not take him to a hospital but attempted to play soccer on PlayStation 4 with him.
The coroner’s inquiry was ongoing as of press time.
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