Actor Femi Branch has criticised the arrest of Queen Naomi Silekunola, ex-wife of Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; chief executive officer of Agidigbo FM, Oriyomi Hamzat and principal of Islamic High School, Abdullahi Fasasi, following a tragic Christmas funfair incident that claimed the lives of 35 children.
A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan on Tuesday ordered the remand of Silekunola and others at the Agodi Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the Oyo State director of public prosecutions over the stampede which occurred on December 18 at a Christmas funfair at Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan.
According to the police, 35 minors died in the stampede while six others were critically injured.
The defendants are facing a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder and negligent acts causing harm.
In a post shared on his Instagram page, the actor sympathised with the victims’ families but described the charges against the organisers as baseless, insisting that the blame lies with parents who smuggled their children into the event.
Branch questioned the basis for the arrests, explaining that the funfair was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with security arrangements set for 8 a.m.
According to reports, parents began throwing their children over the fence into the locked venue the night before, leading to the chaos.
“The venue was locked, and the event wasn’t meant to start until the security team arrived. Yet, parents threw their children over the fence overnight. One child tragically died on impact. How is this the fault of the organisers?” he asked.
He defended Queen Naomi and Hamzat, stating their intention was to bless the community, not harm it.
The House of Ga’a actor further criticised the arrests as unjust and warned against setting a “terrible precedent.”
He said, “Is it now a crime to do good in this country? These organisers were trying to help, and now they are being punished. The real offenders are the parents who endangered their children. Why have they not been arrested?”
The actor called for the immediate release of the organisers and prosecution of the parents involved, insisting that justice must be served.
