₦airaland Forum

Following the uproar sparked by the death of 35 children during a stampede at a funfair in Ibadan, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has taken charge of investigations into the tragic incident.

The stampede occurred when participants rushed to gain access to the venue of the event reportedly organised by the ex-queen of the Ooni of Ife, Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, and an Ibadan-based broadcaster, Oriyomi Hamzat.

Apart from the 35 children who lost their lives in the stampede, six others who were injured were rushed to hospitals.

The event was said to have been initially planned for 5,000 children, but over 7,500 children showed up, worsening the tense situation.

Naomi, who was arrested by the police, reportedly collapsed on Friday.

A popular broadcast journalist in Ibadan, Seun Aribikola, revealed this in a Facebook post.

According to him, she was immediately rushed to the Police Hospital at Eleyele for medical treatment.

The broadcast journalist said the ex-queen was taken to the hospital alongside the Chairman of Agidigbo FM, Hamzat.

“It is confirmed. But she is responding to treatment,” he told Saturday PUNCH.

A senior staff member of the police hospital also confirmed the development to one of our correspondents.

“Both of them are currently at the hospital. They brought them in today. But I can’t give you further details because it is a sensitive matter and the police have barricaded the whole hospital,” the hospital worker said.

The spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Adewale Osifeso, had in a statement, said eight individuals were arrested in connection with the incident.

However, a top police source on Friday said the matter had been taken over by the IG.

The source said, “The IG is now in charge of the case. Anything you want, I think you should call Abuja.”

When contacted, the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, declined comment.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that Agidigbo FM House, one of the hosts of the tragic event, has been shut.


Dead, injured victims

Speaking on the incident, the Chairman of Medical Advisory Council of Adeoyo State Specialist Hospital, Adeoye Allen-Taylor, said four children were on admission at the hospital.

Asked to mention the number of casualties brought dead to the hospital, he said, “Some were brought dead; I think the government has already released the number.

“I have seen online the number and the total, and I will only be able to echo what has been announced. The children were brought here at the same time. The Commissioners of Health and Women Affairs and the Commissioner of Police worked together as a team.”

Allen-Taylor said the government was footing the bills, as everything was being centrally coordinated.

The Public Relations Officer of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Funmi Adetuyibi, said five people were confirmed dead in the facility.

She, however, noted that none of the bodies was taken to the hospital’s mortuary.


Govt fumes as Makinde cancels birthday

In response to the incident, the Oyo State Government, through the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Dotun Oyelade, in a statement, mandated all media houses hosting end-of-year children’s funfairs or public events to ensure the implementation of stringent safety measures.

The government also warned that any organisers of social gatherings, who jeopardised public safety, especially for children and the elderly, would face strict penalties as the year concludes.

Governor Makinde on Friday said he would put off his December 25th birthday celebrations in honour of the children who died in the stampede.

Makinde stated this in Ibadan on Friday while receiving the South-East delegation of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, to condole with him.

The governor described the incident as painful, unfortunate and preventable.

He said due to the incident; he would have to put off his December 25th birthday celebrations and remain alone indoors.

“I will not go out; no birthday celebration this year,” he said.


PDP, Fayemi condole with victims

In another development, the South-West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has expressed condolences to the government and people of Oyo State following the tragic incident.

The Publicity Secretary of the PDP, South-West, Chief Sanya Atofarati, in a statement on Friday in Ado Ekiti, sympathised with Governor Seyi Makinde and the affected families, praying for divine comfort.

Atofarati attributed the tragedy to the harsh economic conditions in the country, which he said pushed families to seek free entertainment for their children.

Atofarati, however, lauded the swift intervention of the Seyi Makinde-led government of Oyo State and the rescue efforts which saved the lives of some of the children, who sustained injuries and the probing of the incident.

Also, the former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, expressed deep sorrow over the incident.

Fayemi, in a statement on Friday by the Head of his Media Office, Ahmad Sajoh, described the incident as heartbreaking and casting a pall of sadness over the Christmas celebrations.

The former governor condoled with the families of the victims and the Oyo State Government and prayed for the injured and grieving families.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/ibadan-funfair-tragedy-detained-oonis-ex-queen-hospitalised-ig-heads-probe/%3famp

Hmmm

Reno Omokri speaks

Those who mocked others and politicised the situation when it occurred at Ibadan are crying now that it occurred in Anambra. Are we not all human beings? Why should our reaction to the same event differ based on where it happened and who were the victims?

My condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives during the Okija rice stampede. May our state governments learn lessons from these frequent events and implement better fraud control mechanisms.

Stampedes can occur anywhere and at any time. They recently happened in South Korea, Israel, the U.S. and multiple European countries. When they occur, let us learn the needed lessons instead of politicising them based on what part of the country the incident rested its ugly head.

#TableShaker

All it takes is to credit the accounts of the vulnerable in the society. Get a list of the low earners in Public service and credit their account. They would sing your praise beyond Planet Earth. It's an alternative way of doing charity.

God is wonderful! God really hate our hateful people,when they started mocking southwest for an incident thats very unfortunate! Some people don’t know that you can’t hate God owns people! Look at what hateful people of southeast brought upon themselves at anambra! Just yesterday they were celebrating in all thei biafra pages,but see how the ALPHA AND OMEGA pay them in 20 folds !

Obi Jackson should be detained too

Wasting people's life in the name of philanthropy

May God continue to protect us.

Animalś were mocking the ones who died in IB but few days after, it also happened in their region.

Is God not wonderful?

May the souls of the departed Rest In Peace and this one wey dey hospital make God give am quick recovery

I reserved my comments 4 now

Nigerians and greed.must you do gra gra with everything? Now you have made her and other subsequent givers feel discouraged

Release her
Another stampede happened in Anambra
It’s not their fault there’s hunger in the land
They were just trying to do good but more people showed up

Tinubu and co are directly responsible for these tragedies with their policy and politics of hunger

Q

LivingSage:
Reno Omokri speaks

Those who mocked others and politicised the situation when it occurred at Ibadan are crying now that it occurred in Anambra. Are we not all human beings? Why should our reaction to the same event differ based on where it happened and who were the victims?

My condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives during the Okija rice stampede. May our state governments learn lessons from these frequent events and implement better fraud control mechanisms.

Stampedes can occur anywhere and at any time. They recently happened in South Korea, Israel, the U.S. and multiple European countries. When they occur, let us learn the needed lessons instead of politicising them based on what part of the country the incident rested its ugly head.

#TableShaker

Omokiriri is a useless cow!

I'm yet to understand why she was detained, this is just crazy. What's she going to be charged with?

Get well soon aunty

Tochitee:
God is wonderful! God really hate our hateful people,when they started mocking southwest for an incident thats very unfortunate! Some people don’t know that you can’t hate God owns people! Look at what hateful people of southeast brought upon themselves at anambra!

Where and when was the hateful comments made? The only thing I saw was people blaming the government for causing hunger! How do you guys celebrate death inspite of where it occurred?

So unfortunate. I guess she loves kids but the enemy took advantage of her compassion. It's indeed a trying time for the queen.

This igp useless.

The modern way of sacrificing human blood is killings by stampede. Also, yahoo boys always target a crowded area and ram their cars into them, then zoom off. Once the blood drops, their vows are automatically renewed. Please if a strange organisation approaches your kids school for a boat ride, don't register your wards. If they say there's a major event for them somewhere, don't allow them participate oo. They won't die if you say no.

Most of the time, wives always influence attendance of such gatherings by their wards. As the head of the house, object to it cos she will still blame you for not saying no. She wouid say but why didn't you object to it when she was making all the plans for their wards to attend. Be wise.

If you're a keke or bike rider, please always watch and be vigilant. My distant relation who lives in Ibadan recounted the ordeal of an okada man living close. He was riding off a major road and yahoo boys went and met him deliberately. They weren't even speeding. They rammed into him and ran away. Thanks to the oke ado traffic. They were chased and caught and brutally dealt with. The man spent one month at Toun Hospital before he regained his consciousness. They made the yahoo boys pay all the bills with police monitoring.

LivingSage:
Reno Omokri speaks

Those who mocked others and politicised the situation when it occurred at Ibadan are crying now that it occurred in Anambra. Are we not all human beings? Why should our reaction to the same event differ based on where it happened and who were the victims?

My condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives during the Okija rice stampede. May our state governments learn lessons from these frequent events and implement better fraud control mechanisms.

Stampedes can occur anywhere and at any time. They recently happened in South Korea, Israel, the U.S. and multiple European countries. When they occur, let us learn the needed lessons instead of politicising them based on what part of the country the incident rested its ugly head.

#TableShaker

He who brought an ant infested wood into his house, should not complain when lizards pay him a visit. We all should shun tribalism and put hands together to move Nigeria forward. Making electoral decisions based on sentiments have far reaching effect. I guess some people thought that having someone from their ethnic group as president we make them better off than others. But na everybody de suffer am now.

iLoveYouToo:
I'm yet to understand why she was detained, this is just crazy. What's she going to be charged with?

In Akure, a prophet organized a prayer or so

A child that came with the parents got missing when the prophet asked everyone to close their eyes...

Wahala burst.

Rumour has it that the corpse of the child and others were discovered on the altar

The church was vandalized, policeman was murdered, the prophet was jailed...


The child has not been found till date, dead or alive,his name is/was Gold.

Organizers of such events are held responsible if things go well or south...

Helping is extremely dangerous.

If you're still supporting Tifnubu and his cronies, you're not only stupid but grossly incompetent at critical thinking.

Insensitive and illiterate Mugus on both sides of the eastern and western province of the southern region of Nigeria still brought tribalism into this matter where some people lost their lives Omo God punish all tribalistic MF on this platform rubbish!!!!

Any mofo wey quote me na God go punish you and family nonsense and stupidity

It takes a complete moronn to mock dead kids

Complete moronn with a dark soul

My condolences to the victims of both Ibadan and Anambra. It’s really a sad one.

Karma comes to teach people lessons to guide their thoughts.

A stampede happens when there is uncontrollable and poorly organised crowd and something triggers or agitates the crowd. Once this happens there is little or nothing anyone can do to control what happens.

Obviously the organised didnt ask for or anticipate such crowd and when they appeared didn't know how to control or handle them.

Tinunu with foolish policy, they is serious hunger in Nigeria. When you organized a program this season even if you don't invite anybody people will come, because of hunger

Okay

Tinubu forgot to condole with them but thankfully he condoled with people that lost their lives in Anambra.

LivingSage:
Reno Omokri speaks

Those who mocked others and politicised the situation when it occurred at Ibadan are crying now that it occurred in Anambra. Are we not all human beings? Why should our reaction to the same event differ based on where it happened and who were the victims?

My condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives during the Okija rice stampede. May our state governments learn lessons from these frequent events and implement better fraud control mechanisms.

Stampedes can occur anywhere and at any time. They recently happened in South Korea, Israel, the U.S. and multiple European countries. When they occur, let us learn the needed lessons instead of politicising them based on what part of the country the incident rested its ugly head.

#TableShaker

I saw those posts on NL. It seems Mr Omokri reads our hate-filled forum a lot.

My heart goes out to the families of these little innocent souls that lost their lives. May God grant them the fortitude to bear the lost.

As for Naomi, I wish her speedy recovery.
Her kindness and generosity landed her in this trouble.
I can imagine the trauma she is experiencing.