The Oyo State government has officially withdrawn the criminal charges filed against the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola; the proprietor of Agidigbo FM, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat; and the Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, Abdullahi Fasasi.

The defendants have been standing trial for the December 2024 funfair stampede at the Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan, which led to the death of 35 children.

The charges against them border on murder and negligence, with the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, insisting that they would be prosecuted.

The defendants spent nearly a month at Agodi Correctional Centre in Ibadan and spent Christmas and New Year’s Day in custody before they were released on bail.

At the Thursday proceedings, the Oyo State Attorney General and Commission for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, applied for the withdrawal of the charges, leading the judge to strike them out.

In an interview with journalists after the court session, the AG said the government’s action was based on compassion and the good conduct of the defendants.

Aikomo said: “It was an unfortunate incident that led to the death of many. And you see, in law, whenever death occurs and the circumstances are not natural, the law will take its course. So, the state responded by filing charges against the persons implicated in the investigation.

“In the course of doing that, we actually wanted to prosecute but the affected persons showed empathy; they showed compassion. And as far as human beings can do, they try to persuade the feelings of the affected parties. And in the circumstance, we felt, the essence of prosecution is not to kill people or persecute them.

“It is in the interest of justice to discontinue these charges, and that is what happened today. So we withdrew the charge and it was struck out by the court. There is no charge against them again, so they are free,” he added.

The PUNCH reported that on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, a Christmas funfair organised by the ex-queen Silekunola in collaboration with Agidigbo FM founder, Hamzat, turned tragic, as 35 children died in a stampede.



https://punchng.com/ibadan-stampede-oyo-drops-murder-charges-against-oonis-ex-queen-others/