Court strikes out charges against ex-Ooni’s wife, Oriyomi Hamzat over Ibadan stampede

The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has struck out murder charges against Queen Naomi Silekunola, former wife of the Ooni of Ife; Oriyomi Hamzat, the owner of Agidigbo FM; and Abdullahi Fasasi, the principal of Islamic High School, Ibadan.

Recall that the trio have been facing murder charges following the December 2024 stampede at a children’s event, which led to the death of 35 children.

In her judgement on Thursday, Justice B. K. Olawoyin ruled that holding the defendants liable could discourage the public from engaging in humanitarian activities.

The court dismissed the four-count charge, which included acceleration of death, conspiracy, negligent acts causing harm, and failure to provide adequate medical facilities and security.

In a reaction to the judgement, Biodun Aikomo, the state Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, said “It is in the interest of justice to discontinue this case. So, we withdrew the charge and it was struck out by the court. There is no case against them again, they are now free.”