Ibadan Stampede: Court Remands Oriyomi Hamzat, Queen Naomi, School Principal

Court has remanded Oriyomi Hamzat, Queen Naomi, and the school principal over the Ibadan stampede.

Glamtush reports that a Chief Magistrate Court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, has ordered the remand of three key figures in connection with last week’s tragic stampede at Bashorun Islamic High School.

This online news platform understands that the individuals include Abdullahi Fasasi, the school’s principal; Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, the proprietor of Agidigbo FM; and the estranged wife of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola.

The court said the remand order was pending the issuance of legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ministry of Justice, Oyo State.

Chief Magistrate Ogunkanmi gave the remand order following the arraignment of the trio on a four-count holding charge bordering on conspiracy, acceleration of death, negligent acts causing harm and failing to provide adequate security and medical facilities.

The arraignment took place in a tense environment with a heavy security presence and journalists were barred from entering the court and had to struggle to take pictures; supporters and fans of Oriyomi Hamzat, who stormed the court premises, had to lay low in the face of the heavy security.

The charges read, “That you Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi F, Alh, Oriyomi Hamzat ‘M’, Fasasi Abdullahi Babatunde ‘M’ and others now at large, on the 18th day of December 2024, between 5:00 am and 8:00 am, at Islamic High School, Bashorun area, Ibadan, in the Ibadan Magisterial district, did conspire with one another to commit felony to wit: Acceleration of death and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 324 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 38, vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

“That you Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi ‘F’, Alh. Oriyomi Hamzat ‘M’, Fasasi Abdullahi Babatunde ‘M’ and others now at large, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial did unlawfully Accelerated the death of Musiliu Sofiat ‘f’ Age 8yrs and thirty-four (34) others between the age of 5months to 13yrs by inviting them for a children fun fair program but failed to provide adequate security/medical facility to prevent stampede at the venue and thereby committed an offence Contrary to Section 311 and punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 38, vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

“That you Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi ‘F’, Alh, Oriyomi Hamzat ‘M’, Fasasi Abdullahi Babatunde ‘M’ and others now at large, on the 18th day of December 2024, between 5:00 am and 8:00 am, at Islamic High School, Bashorun area, Ibadan, in the Ibadan Magisterial district did Conspire with one another to commit an offence to wit: Negligent acts causing harm and thereby committed an offence Contrary to Section 517 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 38, vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

That you Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi ‘F’, Alh. Oriyomi Hamzat ‘M’, Fasasi Abdullahi Babatunde ‘M’ and others now at large, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial did unlawfully omit To provide adequate security/medical facility and a conducive atmosphere to prevent stampede at children funfair program before inviting them to the venue which led to the death of Musiliu Sofiat ‘f Age 8yrs and thirty-four (34) others between the age of 5months to 13yrs and thereby committed an offence Contrary to and punishable under Section 344 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 38, vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.”

Speaking after the court sitting, the legal representative of Queen Naomi, Musibau Adetunmbi (SAN), said the defendants have been put on holding a charge, adding that “you know the moment there is a capital offence in the charge, the magistrate cannot exercise jurisdiction. Although there have been authorities that holding charge ought to be or ought not to be but for now, they were just put on holding charge because it is the high court that has proper jurisdiction on the matter. Kindly note that while we sympathise with the families of the deceased which is very fundamental to us, equally, from what I have seen and what I have heard, none of them set out to kill anybody, nobody set out to kill anybody.

“The matter is not on trial, that is why I am talking to you; take someone like the principal, he was given a letter, submitted it to the Ministry of Education and the ministry gave them the account number that they paid to, the little knowledge of law I know, I cannot see any negligence there but something had happened but gradually, the law will take its course,” he added.

Also speaking, Waheed Adebowale Olajide, the counsel to Fasasi Abdullahi Babatunde, the principal of the school, stated that the three defendants were arraigned on allegations of committing “sundry offences, which is four in number which border on the issue of accelerating the death of 35 people and be that as it may, the magistrate court cannot countenance that offence and since it cannot countenance the offence, our position is that they ought not to arraign them before this court. So this is not a proper arraignment and if at the end of the day, it turn out that they are not culpable, who compensates them for the detention which I call punishment being meted to them now? That is the crux of our own position. But the magistrate is of the opinion that she has the discretion to exercise and she exercised that discretion by putting them in the correctional center.

Meanwhile, the police have released five of the suspects arrested in connection with the stampede. Those released are Genesis Christopher, ’m’ age 24yrs, Tanimowo Moruf, ‘m’ age 52yrs, Anisolaja Olabode, ‘m’ age 42yrs, Idowu Ibrahim, ‘m’ age 35yrs and Abiola Oluwatimilehin, ’m’ age 25yrs.

35 children were confirmed dead by the police authorities, with several others injured.