A pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Defense for Yoruba People’s Rights (DYPR) have sympathised with the ex-Queen of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola and the Chief Executive Officer of Agidigbo Radio Ibadan, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat and the Principal of Islamic Secondary school Ibadan, Mr Fasasi Abdullahi and called for their immediate release from the prison.
The trio who are currently remanded in Agodi prison Ibadan, Oyo State capital in connection with the death of some children during a stampede at an annual funfair organized by Queen Naomi Silekuola, on December 18, 2024.
Silekunola and Hamzat are currently undergoing trier following a court order by the presiding Chief Magistrate, Olabisi Ogunkanmi of Magistrate’s Court 1 sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan.
Another person who was joined in the remand is the Principal of the Islamic High School, Ibadan, where the event was held, Mr Fasasi Abdullah.
The Yoruba group in a statement by its National President, Otunba Muyideen Olamoyegun, appealed to the Federal Government to immediately intervene in the matter and called for the conditional release of them from the prison custody.
The DYPR made passionate appeal to the Federal Government through the Attorney General of the federation, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, for the immediate hos intervention in the matter in order to secure the release of the trio.
The Yoruba group lamented that the whole Yoruba extraction were sad and were unhappy following Silekunola and Hamzat’s arrests and detained , noted that the duo including innocent school Principal have not committed any offense except the poor and lacadesical attitude in which the annual funfair was organised.
According to the statement “we are appealing to the Federal and the Oyo State Government for the release of Oriyomi and others who were currently in the detention over the matter.
“The school Principal who is a civil servant has not committed any offense by releasing the premises of the school to be used for such a programme, we are appealing to the government in the interest of all Yoruba race, Naomi Silekuola is one of the beneficial of several categories of people within and outside Yoruba race.
“While we expressed our deep condens to the family of the deceased children, we are equally using this medium to appeal to the affected people to please have mercy on him, Queen Naomi and the principal.
“Though, the case is presently before the court, however we’re appealing to the Federal and the Oyo State Governments to be merciful on the matter.
“We want it to be on record that most of the bereaved parents were the annual beneficiaries of the funfair” the statement stated.