Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, has promised his former queen, Naomi Silekunola, that God will uphold her trial for the stampede that killed 35 children on December 4 at a Christmas funfair she organized in Ibadan, Oyo State. Oba Ogunwusi cleared his ex-wife of any malicious intent to hurt the kids and other program participants. He pointed out that she planned the event with the admirable goal of making impoverished kids happy.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
The four charges against Silekunola, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, the owner of Agidigbo FM, a radio station based in Ibadan, and Abdulahi Fasasi, the principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, where the program was held, are conspiracy, causing death by negligence, endangering public safety, and failing to provide adequate security and medical facilities at the event.
On December 24, 2024, an Ibadan Magistrate’s Court remanded the three in custody in connection with the case. In a similar vein, when the matter was presented to Justice K.B. Olawoyin of the State High Court in Ibadan on Tuesday, he declined to grant the defendants bail. The decision regarding the bail applications was postponed by Justice Olawoyin to Monday, January 13, 2025.
Oba Ogunwusi has been urged by the ex-queen’s supporters to step in and secure her release ever since the case began.
Ooni was criticized by several supporters for not doing enough to prevent his ex-wife from going to jail. The king clarified, however, that he was only able to pray for the former queen and that only God and the court had the authority to determine her future. In an interview, Ooni was represented by Otunba Moses Olafare, his chief press secretary.
“The case is before the court,” he stated. We cannot meddle in the court’s proceedings; we will wait for the verdict and refrain from taking any action that would compromise the court’s handling of the case. We’re hoping she’ll be cleared in the end. What the court has in store for her is unknown to us.
As of right now, the only thing we can do for her is to ask God to defend her. Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni, is confident that God will do so because she had good intentions for the program. Since her time in the palace, she has always taken care of youngsters, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the past, when she organized such occasions, no one ever perished.
While she was at the palace, she must have organized three or four editions, and no one perished. We know that she had been doing it before she arrived to the palace and that she carried on after she left. Since leaving the palace, she has hosted other children’s programs before the Ibadan edition.
In light of that, we are sending her our best wishes and asking God to give her justice. She shall be justified by God. We think she must have behaved honorably. No one plans an event with the intention of hurting people. At the palace, we hope and pray that she will be cleared in the end.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
