The Oyo State government has officially withdrawn the criminal case against Oriyomi Hamzat, Naomi Silekunola, and Fasasi Abdullahi Fasasi, who had been implicated in the tragic stampede at Islamic High School Bashorun in December 2024. The decision was confirmed by Abiodun Aikomo, the state’s Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, during a press briefing on Wednesday following the ruling.
The Ibadan High Court subsequently struck out the case after the attorney-general’s withdrawal.
Hamzat, the CEO of Agidigbo FM, Silekunola, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, and Abdullahi, the principal of the Islamic High School, had faced charges related to their roles in the stampede during a funfair in Ibadan, which resulted in the deaths of over 30 people, mostly children.
The three individuals were initially remanded in the Agodi Correctional Facility before being granted bail on January 14, with a bail sum set at N10 million and two sureties of the same amount. In January, the state government filed 18 criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, manslaughter, and criminal negligence, against them.
However, after the legal proceedings, Aikomo explained that the state decided to withdraw the charges due to the defendants’ display of empathy and compassion toward the victims.
“It was an unfortunate incident that led to the death of many,” Aikomo stated. “In law, whenever death occurs in circumstances that are not natural, the law will take its course. The state responded by filing charges, but in the course of the proceedings, the accused showed empathy and compassion, trying to ease the pain of the affected parties.”
He further noted that the aim of prosecution is not to punish, but to seek justice. Given the circumstances, the state deemed it in the interest of justice to discontinue the charges. Consequently, the case was struck out, and the accused individuals are now free from legal proceedings.
