Oyo Govt Files 18 Charges Against Ooni’s Ex-Wife, Others

The Oyo State Government has reportedly filed 18 charges against Naomi Silekunola, Ooni of Ife’s wife; Oriyomi Hamzat, the CEO of Agidigbo FM; and Fasasi Abdullahi, the Principal of Islamic High School over the stampede at a Christmas Funfair in Ibadan that claimed the lives of 35 children.

A government source claimed that the charges include manslaughter and related offences. The suspects are currently in detention over their involvement in the deadly stampede.

At an Oyo State High Court on January 7, 2025, the defence team appealed for bail, arguing their clients posed no flight risk and had cooperated fully with the investigation.

Counsel for the defendants argued that their detention was unconstitutional, citing procedural flaws and the illegitimacy of the “hold – ing charge” used to remand them.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Adekunle Sobaloju, representing Oriyomi Hamzat, stated that the holding charge is not recognised under Nigeria’s Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

He urged the court to grant bail, emphasising that detaining the accused without proper arraignment violated their rights. “We filed an application for bail, and the court has reserved its ruling for January 13.

The continued detention of the defendants on a holding charge is legally unfounded,” Sobaloju told journalists after the court session.

The Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo, op – posed the bail applications, emphasising the seriousness of the charges and the need for justice for the victims.

He dismissed allegations of persecution as baseless and insisted that the defence had not provided compelling reasons for their release.

Initially, the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ibadan filed charges of conspiracy, culpable homicide, negligence, and failure to ensure safety against the trio. However, the matter was later transferred to the state high court for proper jurisdiction.