On Monday, Naomi Silekunola, former wife of the Ooni of Ife; Oriyomi Hamzat, Chairman of an Ibadan-based broadcasting station; and Abdulahib Fasasi, Principal of Islamic High School, Basorun, appeared before a Chief Magistrate Court in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The three are facing charges of conspiracy, murder, manslaughter, and negligence linked to the tragic deaths of 35 children during a stampede at a Christmas funfair held on December 18, 2024. The incident, which occurred at Islamic High School, Basorun, shocked the community and raised concerns about crowd management at public events.
Reports indicate the children lost their lives due to inadequate crowd control measures at the event.
Initially, the defendants were detained on a “holden charge,” a legal process their lawyers argued is invalid under Nigerian law. Following this, they were granted bail by the High Court and released before Monday’s hearing.
At the court session, the Chief Magistrate postponed the case to March 24, 2025.
Speaking to journalists, Dapo Akinosi, the lawyer representing Hamzat, explained, “The matter today was for mention because their initial arraignment was on a holden charge, which is not recognised by law. They were remanded in prison due to that charge.
“We later applied for bail at the High Court, which was granted. Now, proper legal advice has been issued, and formal charges have been filed, but the defendants are yet to be served.
“Today, we requested the charge here to be withdrawn, as their plea has not been taken at the High Court. We also sought a longer adjournment to allow proper proceedings, including plea-taking at the High Court, before this case can be concluded at the Magistrate Court.”
