Ibadan stampede: Court sends ex-Queen Naomi Silekunola, others to prison

Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, the ex-wife of Ooni of Ile Ife, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and Abdullahi Fasasi have been ordered to be remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre by a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo State, pending the state prosecutor’s advice.

Hamzat, the owner of Agidigbo FM, Silekunola, and Fasasi, the head of Islamic High School, were charged on Tuesday for their roles in the Christmas Funfair stampede on December 18, which claimed the lives of thirty-five children.

The three were charged by the police with violating Section 324 of the Cr!min@l Code, Cap. 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

However, the chief magistrate in charge of the case, Olabisi Ogunkanmi, decided that legal counsel was required.

At least 35 children were K!ll£d and numerous others were injured in a catastrophic stampede that took place during a children’s funfair in Ibadan, Nigeria, on December 18, 2024.

Women in Need of Governance and Support (WINGS) hosted the event, which drew more than 15,000 people, much in excess of its planned attendance.

As soon as the gates were opened, there was a throng as parents hurried to get in.

Since then, the Oyo State government has sent security forces and opened investigations, and a number of organisers have been detained for their involvement in the catastrophe.