An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has granted a former wife of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola, and two others, being prosecuted for murder and manslaughter, N10 million bail each.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also granted bail are Oriyomi Hamzat, a broadcaster and CEO, Agidigbo Radio FM, Ibadan, and Abdullahi Fasasi, the school principal of Islamic High School.
The three defendants are being prosecuted for the deaths of 35 children during a stampede at a Christmas funfair programme on Dec. 18, 2024, at Islamic High School, Orita Basorun, Ibadan.
It would be recalled that the defendants were on Dec. 24, 2024, arraigned before an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, manslaughter and negligence.
The defendants were subsequently remanded at Agodi Correctional Centre.
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Counsel to the defendants subsequently filed applications for their bail at the state High Court.
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Delivering his ruling on the bail application, on Monday, Justice Kamorudeen Olawoyin admitted the ex-queen and her co-defendants to bail in the sum of N10 million each with two reliable sureties.
Olawoyin said that the Magistrate Court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case due to the murder charge contained in the charge sheet.
He said that there was no place for holding charge in the constitution and keeping them in custody would amount to infringement of their rights
He said that the incident of the stampede was not a premeditated act and so the defendants were entitled to bail.
The judge directed that the defendants must submit their international passports to the court and must not grant any press interview on print or on social media during the course of the trial. (NAN)
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It was gathered that 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.
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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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