Ola Akinwunmi
The Oyo State Government has dropped all charges against Naomi Silekunola, the ex-queen of the Ooni of Ife; Oriyomi Hamzat, owner of Agidigbo FM; and Abdullahi Fasasi, principal of Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan. The trio were initially charged with murder and manslaughter following the tragic stampede at a Christmas funfair program in December 2024, which resulted in the deaths of 35 children.
According to Oyo State Attorney General Abiodun Aikomo, the decision to discontinue the case was made after the defendants demonstrated empathy and compassion towards the victims’ families. Aikomo emphasized that the essence of prosecution is not to persecute, but to serve the interest of justice.
Following Thursday’s court session before Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Ring Road High Court, Ibadan, the Oyo State Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo, who is the prosecutor for the state, revealed the development, and explained the rationale behind the decision.
Addressing journalists, he said, “It was an unfortunate incident that led to the death of many. And you see, in law, whenever death occurs and the circumstances are not natural, the law will take its course. So the state responded by filing charges against the persons implicated in the investigation.
In the course of doing that, we actually wanted to prosecute, but the affected persons showed empathy. They showed compassion. And as far as human beings can do, they try to persuade the feelings of the affected parties. And the circumstance, we felt, the essence of prosecution is not to kill people or persecute them.
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 There is no charge against them again, so they are free,” Aikomo said.The charges were withdrawn and struck out by the court, effectively clearing the defendants of any wrongdoing. This development marks the end of a lengthy and highly publicized legal process.