Oyo Govt Withdraws Criminal Charges against Naomi Ooni’s Ex-wife, Others on Ibadan Stampede

The Oyo State Government has withdrawn all criminal charges against Naomi, an ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife; Agidigbo FM boss, Oriyomi Hamzat and the Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, Abdullahi Fasasi.

Initially, the three defendants had faced legal action following the tragic stampede at a children’s event organized by Naomi Silekunola, a former Ooni’s wife and seconded by owner of Agidigbo FM, Dr Oriyomi Hamzat in December 2024. The stampede claimed tens of lives.

To confirm the case withdrawal on the trio, Oyo State Attorney General Abiodun Aikomo explained the rationale behind the court’s decision.

He was quoted, “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.”

“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.”

“It is in the interest of justice to discontinue these charges, and that is what happened today. So we withdrew the charge and it was struck out by the court. There is no charge against them again, so they are free.”