The Governor of Oyo State, Oluseyi Makinde, has vowed that the organizers of the ill-fated children’s funfair in Ibadan, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 35 children in a stampede on December 18, 2024, must face trial.
Speaking during the annual interfaith service to mark the beginning of 2025, held at the car park of the Governor’s Office Secretariat, Makinde reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring justice for the victims and their families.
The organizers of the event, including Prophetess Naomi Silekunola Ogunseyi, an ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife; Oriyomi Hamzat, the owner of Agidigbo FM; and Fasasi Abdullahi Babatunde, Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, have been remanded at the Agodi Custodial Centre pending trial.
Makinde revealed that he has been under pressure from various quarters to overlook the case, with some drawing comparisons to similar incidents in other states where no one was held accountable.
“Quite a number of people have been reaching out to me, saying this thing happened in Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and nobody went to jail,” he disclosed.
The Governor, however, dismissed such arguments, maintaining that Oyo State operates on its own principles of justice.
“Why is it in Oyo State that some people are going to jail? I told them that Oyo State is not Anambra State, and no matter how highly placed you are, justice must be done,” he asserted.
Makinde also emphasized the independence of the judiciary in handling the case. “The judiciary is here; it is in their court. If you think they can be granted bail pending the trial, I don’t have anything against it, but the people must face trial,” he stated.
