Oyo drops charges against Ooni’s ex-Queen, Oriyomi Hamzat, principal

Abdullateef Fowewe

Charges filed against the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola, the owner of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat, and the principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, Abdullahi Fasasi, has reportedly been dropped.

However, after Thursday’s court session, the defendants were seen expressing visible relief, smiling and engaging in friendly exchanges, indicating the charges against them had been dismissed.

Oyo Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo, confirmed the ruling to reporters offering clarity on the court’s decision.

He said, “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.”

Dailyeconomy reported that the  trio  faced charges in connection with the devastating stampede during a children’s festive event in December 2024, which tragically led to the deaths of at least 35 children.