The Oyo State Government has officially withdrawn criminal charges against popular broadcaster and Chairman of Agidigbo FM, Hamzat Oriyomi; the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola; and the headteacher of Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan, Abdullahi Fasasi, over the tragic stampede that claimed the lives of 35 children.
The stampede occurred during a funfair organized by Ms. Silekunola and promoted by Mr. Oriyomi’s Ibadan-based radio station. The event had not yet commenced when the tragedy struck, leading to its immediate suspension by the state government and the subsequent arrest of the three individuals.
Oyo State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Abiodun Aikomo, confirmed the withdrawal of the charges on Wednesday after the Ibadan Division of the Oyo High Court struck out the case.
Aikomo stated that the decision was made in the interest of justice, highlighting that the defendants demonstrated empathy and compassion toward the affected families.
“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; they are free,” he said.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Aikomo emphasized that while the law takes its course in cases of unnatural deaths, the state government, led by Governor Seyi Makinde, initially pursued legal action in response to public outcry for justice. However, after considering the circumstances and the remorse shown by the accused, the prosecution was discontinued.
Similarly, counsel to Fasasi, Abdulwaheed Olajide, revealed that the victims’ families and the defendants had reached an out-of-court settlement.
“The good thing is that both parties met and considered the broader implications of the case. They agreed to resolve it amicably to prevent sending the wrong signal to the public. If the legal battle had continued, it could have discouraged individuals with good intentions from contributing to society. The families were made to understand that this was an unfortunate accident beyond human control, and they agreed to an out-of-court resolution,” Olajide explained.
The trio had initially faced an 18-count criminal charge, including conspiracy to commit murder, manslaughter, and criminal negligence. They were remanded at the Agodi Correctional Facility before being granted bail on January 14, set at ₦10 million with two sureties in like sum.
