An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has granted a former wife of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola, and two others, standing trial before it for alleged manslaughter, ₦10 million bail each.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that court also granted bail to; Oriyomi Hamzat, a broadcaster and CEO, of Agidigbo Radio FM, Ibadan, and Abdullahi Fasasi, the school principal of Islamic High School.
The three defendants are facing trial for the deaths of 35 children during a stampede at a Christmas funfair programme on December 18, 2024, at Islamic High School, Orita Basorun, Ibadan.
It would be recalled that the defendants were on December 24, 2024, arraigned before an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, negligent acts and causing harm. The defendants were subsequently remanded at Agodi Correctional Centre.
Counsel to the defendants subsequently filed applications for their bail at the state High Court. Delivery ruling on the bail application, on Monday,
Oriyomi Hamzat and Queen Naomi
Justice Kamorudeen Olawoyin admitted the ex-queen and her co-defendants to bail in the sum of ₦10 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 charges 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.
Also read: Stampede tragedy: Oyo govt files murder charges against Ooni’s ex-Queen, others