Oyo Court Grants Bail to Ooni’s Ex-Queen Naomi, Hamzat, and Principal
An Oyo State High Court in Ring Road has granted bail to Naomi Silekunola, the former queen of the Ooni of Ife, alongside broadcaster Oriyomi Hamzat and Abdulahi Fasasi, the Principal of Islamic High School. The court, presided over by Justice K.B. Olawoyin, made the ruling on Monday following a bail application submitted by the trio’s legal counsel. The bail conditions include a N10 million bond, two sureties who must provide landed property documents within the court’s jurisdiction, and the deposit of their international passports with the court. Additionally, they are prohibited from giving interviews while the case is ongoing. The defendants had been in custody since December 24, after their arrest in connection with a deadly stampede on December 18, 2024, during a funfair that resulted in the deaths of 35 children. The Oyo State Government charged them with murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, and criminal negligence. Counsel for Hamzat, Adekunle Sobaloju, confirmed that the court approved the bail application and declined to elaborate further on the grounds for the ruling.
