An Oyo State High Court sitting at Ring Road, Ibadan, has granted bail to three individuals, including Naomi Silekunola, the former queen of the Ooni of Ife. The others are Oriyomi Hamzat, a well-known media personality in Ibadan, and Abdulahi Fasasi, the principal of Islamic High School.
The ruling was delivered on Monday by Justice K.B. Olawoyin, who presided over Court 8. The judge granted the bail following a formal application submitted by the legal representatives of the accused individuals.
Delivery ruling on the bail application, Justice Olawoyin admitted the ex-queen and her co-defendants to bail in the sum of N10 million each with two reliable sureties.
Olawoyin said that the Magistrate Court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case due to the murder charge contained in the charge sheet.
He said that there was no place for holding charge in the constitution and keeping them in custody would amount to infringement of their rights.
He said that the incident of the stampede was not a premeditated act, and so the defendants were entitled to bail.
The judge directed that the defendants must submit their international passports to the court and must not grant any press interview in print or social media during the trial. (NAN)
