A consultant pathologist at Central Hospital Warri, Delta State, Mr. Clement Vhriterhire, who carried out the first autopsy on the body of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr., yesterday insisted that the Dowen College student died of pneumonia.
His testimony agreed with the report of Dr. Sokunle Soyemi, pathologist to the Lagos State University Hospital, LASUTH.
But Vhriterhire’s report contrasted with speculations that Oromoni was beaten by five students of the college.
The physician told Coroner Mikhail Kadiri that prior to the post-mortem he carried out on the boy’s body, he was told that the deceased was beaten, but not told he was given a substance to drink before touching the deceased.
“I expect to see clear evidence of beating as to the cause of death. But during physical examination of the body, externally looking at the body I did not see any open injury. I should be seeing evidence of significant bleeding in the abdominal cavity. By the time I opened these cavities, I did not see any sign of beating.
“Nothing will give credence to the allegation that he died by chemical intoxication. I didn’t see any injury that can explain death. No evidence of such gravity to explain death,” he said.
The witness under cross-examination by Mr. Anthony Kpokpo, counsel to Dowen College, said septic-shock could have caused the boy’s death.
When Femi Falana, lawyer to the Oromoni family, asked the doctor about the bruise he saw on the deceased, he responded, “When I reflected on the back, there is this hue that may have been inflicted months earlier.
Vhriterhire said massive dose of antibiotics, blood transfusion, intravenous fluid, and other recommendation could have saved Oromoni.
