Oyo State Government has dismissed all the charges preferred against Ooni of Ife’s ex-wife, Naomi Silekunola; Oriyomi Hamzat, owner of Agidigbo FM; and Abdullahi Fasasi, owner of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan. The three individuals had been on trial due to a stampede at a Christmas funfair they organised, in Oyo state last year which led to the death of 35 children.
The Oyo State High Court delivered its judgment on Thursday, strucking out the case after the state withdrew the charges, over the accused.
Oyo State Attorney General Abiodun Aikomo justified the action of the state in his remarks to the media after the hearing. “This was a tragic accident which claimed so many lives,” stated Aikomo. “Where death is in other than natural circumstances, by law, there must be a process initiated. So the state charged those suspected according to what the investigation revealed.”.
But Aikomo emphasized that the defendants empathetic response to the tragedy was reason behind the dropping of the case. “The victims were compassionate and understanding, doing everything they could to console the families of the victims,” he said.
“We believe the function of prosecution is not to persecute or destroy individuals but to dispense justice. Considering the situation and efforts, we believed it was in the best interests of justice to dismiss the charges.”
The Ibadan funfair tragedy had caused widespread anger and grief across Nigeria, with initial investigations pointing to organizational lapses as the root of the deadly stampede.
While the case dismissal provides relief to the defendants, it raises inconclusive issues of accountability and security measures during public events, questions sure to be in the public domain as the state and nation mourn the loss of the young lives.
