Why court strike out di case against former Ife Queen and odas for di Ibadan stampede wey kill children

BBC News

21-03-2025

Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, on Thursday, strike out di charges against former Queen Naomi Ogunwusi, radio presenter Oriyomi Hamzat and di Principal of Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan, Abdullahi Fasasi.
Dem bin enta court gbege sake of di tragic Christmas funfair wey claim di lives of 35 children for Ibadan, di Oyo State capital, last year.
But wen di mata come up again on Thursday, Justice Ladiran Akintola wey sidon on top di mata bin order make dem release di international passports of di defendants.
Di judge advise di defendants make dem dey guided and avoid dat kain issues for future.
Di Oyo State Attorney-General, Abiodun Aikomo, wen e tok to tori pipo afta di court session, describe di incident wey cause di death of plenti children as unfortunate.
E say di law, wen death happun for circumstances wey no natural, go take im course.
"So di state bin respond by filing charges against di pesins wey dey implicated for di investigation."
Aikomo say dem comot di case afta di families wey e affect show pity for di pipo wey dem accuse and beg make dem cancel am.
E confam say some families don collect compensation, and dem don return di documents wey dem seize.
On Monday 13 January di Oyo State High Court bin grant di former Queen of Ife, Naomi Ogunwusi, bail in di sum of 10 million naira wit two sureties.
Justice BK Olawoyin wey preside ova di case also grant Oriyomi Hamzat and Abdullahi Fasasi bail in di sum of 10 million naira wit two sureties respectively.
Oda conditions for dia bail be say dia sureties go get landed property for Ibadan.
Court ask di defendants to submit dia international passports and say make dem no grant any media interview until di conclusion of di case.
Background of di tori
Queen Naomi bin organise one annual food distribution program last year for no less dan five thousand children for Ibadan, wit di aim to make dis Christmas a happy one for dem.
At least 35 children die and many more injure, before di event bin start due to stampede.
Those wey attend di event bin tell BBC say e neva tey wen di program start wen di stampede shele.
Dis no be di first time wey di Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi go host dat kain event.
Na evri year she dey run di programme under her charitable organization, Women in Need of Guidance and Support (WINGS).
Anoda eyewitness bin say di crowd too plenty and many pipo bin dey locked out.
She say those wey arrive early bin dey allowed to enta while larger group wey later arrive bin dey locked outside.
"Wen di founder of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat, finally arrive for di venue, di security open di gate. For dat moment, di waiting crowd seize di opportunity to force dia way through di narrow entrance, wey lead to di stampede," di eyewitness bin tok.
Anoda eyewitness also say na crowd wey rush inside wen Hamzat enta cause di stampede.
"We don dey gate since 5:00am. If to say dem open gate wen we arrive, wetin happun for no happun, no pikin for die.
"Na bifor 6:00am Oriyomi arrive. Di gateman no wan give Oriyomi key, Oriyomi snatch di key from am and open di gate. Na wen e open di gate pipo rush inside and begin fall ontop each oda. Oriyomi kon begin help dem. By di time I see my pikin, dem don crush am, e don shit, di pikin don die," she tok.
Na on Thursday 19 December di Oyo State Police Command bin arrest Olori Naomi Ogunwusi and odas sake of di tragedy.
For statement wey dem release, di police tok say na 35 pipo bin die for di stampede.
"So far, thirty-five minors don dey documented to don die while six odas dey critically injured and on various medical interventions," di statement tok.
Apart from di ex-queen wey be di main sponsor of di event, seven odas including di school principal also dey police custody, di statement bin tok.
Di police bin say dem transfer di case to di Homicide Section of di State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku and add say na di Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge dey lead di investigations.
Justice Olabisi Ogunkanmi of di Iyaganku Magistrate Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, bin order di remand of former Ile-Ife Queen, Naomi Silekunola, and Oriyomi Hamzat, wey be senior manager of one radio station in Ibadan, for custody.
Dem keep dem for Agodi Prison for Oyo State.