A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, remanded the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola; the Chief Executive Officer of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat; and the Principal of Islamic High School, Abdullahi Fasasi, to the Agodi Correctional Centre on Tuesday.
The remand order came after their arraignment in connection with last week’s horrific stampede at a Christmas funfair held at Islamic High School in Bashorun, Ibadan, which killed 35 children and injured six others.
Chief Magistrate Olabisi Ogunkanmi presided over the court, which made the ruling after the accused were hauled in under heavy security.
The defendants face a four-count accusation. According to the police prosecutor, the offenses violated Section 324 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The prosecution claimed that the trio had a role in the circumstances leading up to the stampede, which turned the Christmas celebration into a tragedy.
Chief Magistrate Ogunkanmi ordered that the accused be held in the Agodi Correctional Centre for legal advice from the Oyo State Director of Public Prosecutions.
The court procedures gained widespread notice, and law enforcement officers guarded the accused as they were led to and from the courthouse.