The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has struck out murder charges against Ooni of Ife ex-wife, queen Naomi Silekunola; the owner of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat; and principal of Islamic High School, Abdullahi Fasasi.
The trio have been facing murder charges following the December 2024 children’s event stampede that led to the death of 35 children.
Justice B. K. Olawoyin delivering judgement on Thursday, 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.
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Addressing journalists, Oyo State Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo, explained the reasoning behind the decision, emphasising the legal and humanitarian considerations involved.
“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,” Aikomo stated.
He further clarified, “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.
Reacting to the court judge in an interview, the state Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, judgment, Biodun Aikomo, said “It is in the interest of justice to discontinue these 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”.
