The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, urged the state high court in Ibadan not to grant bail to the ex-queen of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Shilekunola, Hamzat Oriyomi, and a school principal, Fasasi Abdullahi.

The court had on December 24 remanded the trio in prison over the death of 35 children during a Christmas Funfair they organised in Ibadan, which resulted in a fatal stampede.

The defendants spent both Christmas and New Year’s Day at the Nigerian Correctional Services facility in Agodi.

During Tuesday’s hearing at High Court 8, Ring Road, Ibadan, the defence counsel urged the court to admit them to bail but the Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, opposed the bail requests, insisting that the applicants had not shown sufficient grounds for their release.

“The bail request of the applicants must not be granted by the court,” Aikomo stated. He also countered claims of persecution by the state government, describing them as unfounded.

Earlier, the defence counsel argued that their clients’ detention was unconstitutional, citing procedural irregularities and challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

They maintained that the “holding charge” used to remand the suspects was not recognised under Nigeria’s Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

Waheed Olajide, representing Fasasi Abdulahi, principal of Islamic High School, Basorun, argued that the detention was unjustified.

“No formal charge is preferred against the applicant before any court of competent jurisdiction,” Olajide said.

He further emphasised Abdulahi’s poor health condition, stating, “The law makes provision for exceptional circumstances, which include ill health, upon which the suspects can be released on bail. The applicant is battling with his health and needs to be taken care of medically.”

Silekunola’s lawyer, Musibau Adetunmbi (SAN), described her continued detention as unconstitutional.

“Anybody can be detained, but it must be in accordance with the law, irrespective of the offenscs committed,” he argued. “The applicants are being held in detention pursuant to a holding charge which is not known in the criminal administration of justice. Oyo State Government has acted illegally with the continuing detention of the suspects in the prison custody. All the evidences presented by the defense counsel to buttress their case are zero.”

Hazmat’s lawyer, Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), similarly contended that the detention violated constitutional provisions.

“The holding charge used to clamp the suspects in the prison custody is not known in the criminal administration of justice,” Sobaloju argued.

Justice K.B. Olawoyin, after listening to submissions from both sides, adjourned the ruling on the bail applications till Monday, January 13, 2025.

The National Bureau of Statistics website has remained shut nearly three weeks after it was hacked.

Checks on Monday showed that the website is still inactive. This is coming ahead of the December inflation report expected to be released next week, January 15, 2025.

It was reported that on December 18, 2024, NBS confirmed that its official website was hacked.

NBS had promised to recover the website, which served as a repository of statistics and information.
This comes as NSB allocated N35 million for cybersecurity in its N9.85 billion budget for 2025.

The hack incident came after an NBS Experience and Security Perception Survey, which showed that Nigerians paid an estimated N2.3 trillion as ransom in 12 months and that 65 percent of households had been affected by kidnapping incidents.

The survey had generated controversy over its veracity.

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The Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has insisted that those involved in the stampede at the Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, which claimed the lives of at least 35 children, must face trial.

The stampede had occurred at a charity programme organised in Oyo State.

This is even as the governor noted that he wasn’t against the suspects being granted bail in the case.

He noted that the case must be heard regardless of the status of those involved.

His comments came as he noted that some persons had argued that similar incidents in Abuja and Anambra did not lead to prosecutions wondering why Oyo State was different.

Makinde shared his thoughts at the 2025 Annual Inter-faith Service for state workers. He addressed calls for leniency, stating that the rule of law would be upheld in Oyo State.

The governor stated that while there may be no prosecutions elsewhere, the case will be different in Oyo State.

The governor responded firmly, stating, “Even if nobody is held accountable elsewhere, in Oyo State, the rule of law will prevail.”

Makinde said, “In the outgone year, we faced challenges. 2024 started for us here in Oyo State almost on a tragic note. On 16th January 2024, we had an explosion here in Bodija. It affected even my office. The impact was felt all around Ibadan. We’re closing it out.

“And then, towards the end of the year, we had the stampede at Islamic High School, Bashorun. 35 innocent souls were lost; may we not see such again in Oyo State.

“Quite a number of people have been reaching out to me, saying, ‘Oh, this incident happened in Anambra State. It also occurred in the FCT. Nobody went to jail. Why is it that in Oyo State, some people are going to jail?’ I said, ‘Well, Oyo State is not Anambra State, and no matter how highly placed, justice must be done.’

“The judiciary is here; it’s in their court. If you think you can grant bail pending trial, I have nothing against it. But for the trial, the people must go on trial.

“So, people come to me, and I’ve been saying to them, ‘Oyo State, even if this entire country decides not to follow the rule of law, in Oyo State, we will follow; we will dare to be different. We will uphold the rule of law.’”

It would be recalled that owner of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat, the estranged queen Of the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Naomi Silekunola, have been remanded in custody over their roles in the stampede that killed many and which led to an uproar across the country.