Ibadan stampede: Court grants N10m bail to ex-Queen Naomi, others

By Suleiman Shehu

An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has granted a former wife of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola, Oriyomi Hamzat, the CEO, Agidigbo Radio FM, and Abdullahi Fasasi, the school principal of Islamic High School who are being prosecuted for murder and manslaughter, N10 million bail each.

However, the court directed that the defendants must submit their international passports to the court and must not grant any press interview on print or on social media during the course of the trial.

The three defendants are being prosecuted for the deaths of 35 children during a stampede at a Christmas funfair programme on Dec. 18, 2024, at Islamic High School, Orita Basorun, Ibadan.

It would be recalled that the defendants were on Dec. 24, 2024, arraigned before an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court on four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, manslaughter and negligence.

The defendants were subsequently remanded at Agodi Correctional Centre.

Counsel to the defendants subsequently filed applications for their bail at the state High Court.

Delivery ruling on the bail application, on Monday, Justice Kamorudeen Olawoyin admitted the ex-queen and her co-defendants to bail in the sum of N10 million each with two reliable sureties.

Olawoyin said that the Magistrate Court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case due to the murder charge contained in the charge sheet.

He said that there was no place for holding charge in the constitution and keeping them in custody would amount to infringement of their rights

He said that the incident of the stampede was not a premeditated act and so the defendants were entitled to bail.