Martins Olasehinde
IBADAN – A high court in Nigeria’s Oyo state on Monday granted the bail applications filed by Olori Naomi Silekunola, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat and Abdulahi Fasasi over a stampede that killed at least 35 children last year’s December.
The court sitting in Ibadan, the state capital and presided over by Justice K. B. Olawoyin – had on Tuesday, 7 January, reserved its ruling on the bail applications.
Hamzat is the founder of popular Ibadan-based radio station, Agidigbo FM, while Fasasi is the principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan where 35 children died at a children funfair organised by the Wings Foundation run by the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi.
On December 24, 2024,Chief Magistrate Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi, presiding over Chief Magistrates’ Court 1, Iyaganku, Ibadan, ordered the trio to be remanded at Agodi Correctional Facility, pending an advice from the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Oyo State Ministry of Justice.
Naomi, Hamzat and Fasasi are facing trial on a four-count charge which borders on conspiracy, acceleration of death, negligent acts causing harm and omitting to provide adequate security and medical facilities.
The Oyo State government on Friday instituted a fresh 18-count charge suit before the Oyo State High Court against the trio in relation to the stampede.
The 18-count charge borders on alleged conspiracy to commit a felony, namely murder; manslaughter; conspiracy to commit an offence and criminal negligence, which are said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code, CAP 38, Vol II Law of Oyo State, 2000.
In the charge sheet, the prosecution revealed the names and details of 14 of the reported 35 victims of the incident to include Musiliu Sofiyah, ‘f’, 8 years; Lekan Salami, ‘m’, 7 years; Feyikemi Salam, ‘f’, 1 and a half years; Olaniyan Joshua, ‘m’, 1 and a half years; and Laeef Muisi, ‘m’, 8 years.
Others are Opeyemi Ayomide, ‘f’, 4 years; Adebayo Fatimah, ‘f’, 4 years; Adebayo Abibat, ‘f’, 5 years; Adeyanju Taiwo, ‘f’, 8 years; Salaudeen Khalid, ‘m’, minor; Anjorin Faridat, ‘f’, 10 years; Nahaam Muisi, ‘m’, 13 years; and Babatunde Toheeb, ‘m’, 18 years.
The charge also alleges that the suspects, “did conspire together to commit a felony, namely criminal negligence, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 517 of the Criminal Code, CAP 38, Vol II, Law of Oyo State, 2000.
“Did negligently omit to provide adequate security, crowd control mechanisms, and medical facilities to prevent a stampede at a children’s funfair programme organised by you, and your negligent omission resulted in the death of one Musiliu Sofiat, ‘f’, aged 8 years, and 34 other children, thereby committing an offence contrary to section 308 and punishable under section 344 of the Criminal Code, CAP 38, Vol II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
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