By Adeyinka Adeniran
A proposed event organized to bring joy and happiness in the spirit of the season, ended up claiming many lives, especially of children in Ibadan. Yinka Adeniran writes on the incident
Tales of woes
For Abosede Kolade (not real name), listening to her instinct and not falling prey for what she described as ‘token’ would have saved her the agonising experience of nearly loosing her three and half year old son, Ayomide.
The fact that Abosede, a hairdresser decided to join her friends to attend the event, despite having customers to attend was not enough pain, but the cost that she had to pay, all in the name of trying to catch fun and get free goodies.
Her effort at seeing how life was leaving the innocent baby after been trampled upon and her helplessness to save the child is what she will forever remember.
Abosede said she only succeed to pressure from her friends to attend the Ibadan Children Funfair hosted by an ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Queen Naomi through her Wings Foundation and widely promoted by an Ibadan based radio station, Agidigbo FM, just to try their luck if her children would be one of the lucky 5,000 children to benefit from N5,000 cash and other gift items so promoted.
Watching over his son at the Adeoyo Specialist Hospital, Ibadan, sombre looking Abosede said she wonders if she could ever forgive herself for fallen for a token of cash and gift which she could make from a day’s job in her hairdressing business, without having to subject herself and her two children to the near death experience.
She pray to God and begged Him fervently to allow her boy live again, with a vow that she will never fall for such a temptation again, even if tempted with million of Naira.
She said although, herself and three other friends with so much enthusiasm and joy chattered a small commercial cab, popularly called Micra, filled with about 10 children to the funfair, less than four hours later, it became obvious that their relationship may never be the same again because not all the children they took there returned alive.
She said “We got there around 6AM. Many people were there already by the time we got there and they didn’t open the entrance gate for anybody.
“But, by the time Oriyomi came, he entered and opened the gate, asking them to open the gate for everyone to enter. The crowd was too much, we were over 10,000 and as they opened the gate and people want to rush in at the same time. That was how the stampede started and people started falling over each other.
“Even my child, there were more than six people who fell on him, and people were also falling on me with people falling over each from all sides. Many people were injured. Many children died. Based on what I saw when the dust settled, over a hundred children died as the noise of death and collapse were coming from different parts of the entrance gate. I can’t even count them.
“I went with two children. One is about eight years old while my baby is about four years old. My husband knew about our going there. I don’t think about going for the event initially but my neighbours were the ones who persuaded me to join them. That was why I joined them. I was informed about it, a day to the event and I felt there’s no harm in going too.
“I was told we would be given gifts and money. But, I regret ever going for the funfair. I will never do such again no matter what they offer to give us freely. I won’t ever try it again and I thank God for seeing me through. I am an hairdresser and I can make such money easily if I stay in my shop.
“It was a bitter experience. I had my baby in my hands while the older one was with me. As they were pushing, my baby fell off my hands and people started trampling on him. I couldn’t even find him or see him on the ground at a point, then I also fell down, trying to cover him with my body and people started trampling on my head. The whole of my body still aches.
“People were just not conscious they were just moving about trampling and falling on each other while those who could gain balance walked on others. When I couldn’t stand up and ran out of strength while trying to get up, I started bitting people as I struggled to protect my baby on the floor beside me. I just couldn’t get up. It was crazy. I just continued to bite people’s legs after I succeeded in putting his head under my thighs.
“Later I saw one Ogidan (Oriyomi’s colleague), when he looked down and saw me been trampled upon, after I had even bitten his leg too, he was the one who helped me picked up my baby and transfered him to someone else before I made my way to get him and rushed him to the hospital alongside many other children.
“As at the time, the boy had fainted and we tried to resuscitate him at the venue but, to no avail. There were too many children who they were trying to bring back to life at the same time and it was a harrowing experience for me.
“My child is actually getting better, based on all the tests they conducted on him. I am grateful to God for his mercies.
“My older son too became unconscious at the same time but many people rallied round us to show support and he was revived at the venue.
“We were four parents that brought our children from Agbowo. We actually chattered a cab to bring us. But, one of my neighbours that we came together lost a son. Others survived. We have not been the same since the incident because of the loss of the son of one of us that we attended the event together.”
Also Kabirat Alayo (pseudo name), a middle aged woman received the news of the free party from Agidigbo FM, the local radio station which partnered amd promoted the event.
She was not only excited at going, she had done so well to prepare her children to attend. Days to the event, she had severally used the party to threaten any of her children who misbehaves that she will not allow such child to go to the party alongside others.
Kabirat easily get any of her four children to do anything without stress, so long they wish to attend the children funfair which, according to the organisers will be calm.
She recounted her confidence in the promoter more than the organisers, whom she quoted as saying, people should bring all their children with an assurance that they will be catered for.
Until Abosede who got to the venue on the say of the event around 6AM, Kabirat said she got to the venue as early as 4:30AM and was surprised to hear that some parents and their children slept over at the venue, a day to the event.
She said, despite the massive crowd she met on ground when she arrived at the venue, she was able to maneuver and get close to the entrance gate, but not without fight, banters and unleashing insults on deserving individuals.
With pain in her voice, she lamented that, the closer and deeper she goes into the crowd and closer to the gate, she said she never knew that she was pushing one of his sons, 6years old. Kolade to death.
She wished something or someone had stopped her from attending the children funfair. She challenged God for not prompting her not to attend the event.
But Abosede was not alone in her lamentation. Reeling on the floor with grief and pain, Bolanle Ajisafe wept uncontrollably on hearing that her daughter, seven years old had passed.
She would not be comforted. She couldn’t imagine that the end has come for her daughter. Additionally, she knew that the death of the child is also a natural death of her marriage to her husband, as she was heard saying she dares not go back home without the boy.
“I don’t know that it would end this way. I slept on the same bed with my daughter yesterday (Wednesday) not knowing it will be our last meeting.
“Doctor, my daughter is not dead. Please wake her up. I must go home with my daughter.”
Initial scare on death toll
As at 7AM, Thursday, news had filtered around town on the death toll. While many puts it at over a hundred, other unconfirmed reports peg it at about 60 children.
But there was no hiding the fact that a tragedy had hit the state. The early morning saw thousands of residents, mostly women and children walking long distance back to their location, especially those who didn’t have to go through so much before locating their children from tumultuous crowd that had stormed the Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan.
However, temper rose a bit with massive reactions across the state when the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade in an initial statement puts the casualty figure at 32.
Sensing the impact, the Commissioner quickly withdrew the statement and issued another one where the government said it will wait for a detailed report from the Commissioner of Police to clarify the total number of victims involved in this unfortunate incident.
The effort could save little as some local online news site and social media enthusiasts had ran to town with the figure.
Oyelade confirmed in his statement that a stampede claimed several lives, mostly children, and left many others injured as he urged parents looking for their children to visit five named hospitals including: Patnas Specialist Hospital, Bashorun, Best Western Hospital, Bashorun, Ringroad State Hospital, Molly Specialist Hospital, and University College Hospital (UCH).
Agidigbo denies involvement, owner hospitalised
As accusing fingers point the direction of the Ibadan based radio station, Agidigbo FM for its role in the event, the station quickly took to the airwave to deny any form of involvement in the planning and organising the event.
The station in a statement by its Director of Programs, Olayinka AbdulWahab said the radio station was not the organizer of the event but one of the media outfits used to promote the event.
It added that the event was organized by the WINGS foundation but that it deployed all its media strategies to sensitive the populace and encourage them to stop going to the venue of the event when it heard that mammoth crowd had assembled at the venue as early as 5AM, Wednesday.
A few hours after the Police announced arrest of some suspects, news filtered around that the owner of the station, and chief promoter of the event, Oriyomi Hamzat has been unconscious and receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital.
Government Response
Alarmed, the state government immediately activated a medical emergency described as rapid response team while mourning the victims of the funfair tragedy.
The government’s rapid response team was saddled with responsibility of addressing the crisis, ensuring that victims were transported to various hospitals across Ibadan for medical attention with an emergency response teams to provide immediate assistance at the scene.
Prince Oyelade clarified that the Oyo State Government had no involvement in the planning or execution of the event, nor was the Ministry of Health approached to provide logistics or support for the private carnival.
He emphasized the critical need for proper coordination and planning when organizing large events, particularly those involving children and other vulnerable groups, noting that it was awaiting a comprehensive report from the Commissioner of Police to ascertain the total number of victims and the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Makinde reacts
Worried by the development, Governor Seyi Makinde while condoling the parents of the affected children called for calm while assuring that those behind the event will be prosecuted if found culpable.
He cleared that, the government want not in anyway involved in the planning.
He also on the day directed his Deputy, Bayo Lawal to visit the scene of the incident and hospital facilities where some of the children were deposited.
Police broke silence
Initial efforts to confirm the figures from the Police also proved abortive a calls to the Commands Spokesman, Adewale Osifeso, a Superintendent of Police was not answered.
He however sent a reply via a WhatsApp message where he said “Investigation is in progress. Updates would be provided accordingly, please”.
About 24 hours later, the Command in a statement confirmed the death toll and puts the figure at 35, mostly children, with six others critically injured and on various medical interventions.
Arrest of Primary Suspects
A new twist to the development which send a sigh of relief to the populace was the report that at least eight persons have been arrested in connection to the incident.
According to the Police, the list of those in custody included, the organiser of the event, an ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Olori Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, the Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, Fasasi Abdulahi, Genesis Christopher, Tanimowo Moruf, Anisolaja Olabode, Idowu Ibrahim and Abiola Oluwatimilehin.
The case was also transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku with the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge leading the investigations.
The statement reads in part, “Sequel to the Stampede incident recorded on Wednesday 18/12/2024 at the Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan venue of the family event Organized by Wings Foundation and Media partners Agidigbo FM, the Oyo State Police Command wishes to inform the good people of the State that eight persons have since been arrested for their various involvements.
“These persons include the main event sponsor, Prophetess Naomi Silekunola ’f’ age 31yrs, Fasasi Abdulahi, ’m’ age 56yrs (School Principal Islamic High School, Ibadan), Genesis Christopher, ’m’ age 24yrs, Tanimowo Moruf,’m’ age 52yrs, Anisolaja Olabode, ‘m’ age 42yrs, Idowu Ibrahim, ‘m’ age 35yrs and Abiola Oluwatimilehin, ’m’ age 25yrs.
“So far Thirty-five (35) minors have been documented Dead while six (6) others are critically injured and on various medical interventions.
“In furtherance of the above, the case has since been transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku with the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge leading the investigations.
“So also, residents around the axis are advised not to panic as they would witness high level patrols and visible Police presence to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the unfortunate situation.
“Finally, the Oyo State Police Command sympathizes with all the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and assures the good people of the State that Justice will be served accordingly.”
More children leaves hospitals, parents claim corpse
As the dust settles, many more affected parents came to terms with the reality of the incident. Whe The Nation visited some hospitals where some of the children were admission, it was observed that only four children at the Adeoyo Specialist Hospital were still been medically observed.
On the other sides of the coin, parents who identified their corpse also went to the facilities to recover their dead children after issuing threat of formenting troubles, should they be denied the corpse of the affected kids.
The pressure was more at the private facilities where many of the children were brought in dead. The government, for fear of the corpse been claimed by wrong individuals had insisted that the hospitals should not release the corpse until proper verification and identification were done.
Corenews gathered that the directive was not in sync with virtually all the private facilities that had some children brought in dead because the lack the facilities to preserve corpse.
However, most parents, around 9PM stormed the facilities to recover their children corpse. It was gathered that some parents in their bitterness threatened to burn down any Hospital facility that denied them the corpse of the children.
Torrents of condolence
President Bola Tinubu, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, political figures, groups, none governmental organisations, among other poured in their condolences with the governor, the state government, families of affected children and the people.
While the dignitaries solidarity, there was also the call for investigation of the remote cause in a bid to ensure that those found culpable are made to pay.
Observers views
Many stakeholders who are privy to the video making the rounds on the social media faulted the organisers for the method deployed in coordinating the crowd which resulted in the mass tragedy.
While some identified poverty, some others said greed on the part of the supposed beneficiaries led to what some described as suicide mission. They appealed to government to do the needful in bringing the affected culprits to book in the interest of Justice for the dead innocent children.
Event Planners views
When contacted a professional event planner, the Chief Executive Officer, Veekay Events ‘n’ Services, Oluwakemi Ishola said the organisers underestimated the power of the media when they deployed it to promote the event, especially considering that it was free and happening in a place that is easily accessible.
She disagreed with the media proprietor who denied involvement in the planning of the event, saying his radio station, Agidigbo FM massively aired jingles, with the station proprietor even canvassing for massive turnout at the event.
Oluwakemi who doubted if any professional event planner had been engaged in the planning or executing the event said if any event was however involved such a person must be question on measures for crowd control.
She said “That kind of event shouldn’t be organised without a professional planner and if there was, she has to be questioned as to what are the adequate measures of crowd control she employed.
“Second, they might actually have proper plan but the turn out exceeded their plan but in this case I would not want to think so. I guess also the awareness was more than preparation.
“Also I don’t think they put into consideration the location of event, even for the fact that it was a free admission event with promise of lots of goodies.
“The turnout you will get when you organised that kind of event in Gate or Beere is not what you will get if you organise in Oluyole or Akala Expressway. You can’t assume to use the same event measures for both event. I also think the planner and organisers underestimated the event. It’s so sad. But this also gives us a clearer view of the economic state of the nation and state
“If she actually hired an event planner, she (Naomi) just have little fault, but if not, that will be unfortunate”
Makinde may celebrate solemn birthday and Christmas
The event has no doubt turned everything in the state to a low. Governor Seyi Makinde has expressed his readiness to have a quite and solemn birthday celebration. Since his assumptions of office, the governor had always celebrated his birthday on Christmas day and shared the time with people from different parts of the state.
However, there are indications that the governor might be cancelling any form of elaborate celebrations in honour of the 57th birthday anniversary.
Police keeps mum on prosecution
Efforts to get the police to give an update on the arrested suspects and possibility of prosecution proved abortive as at the time of this report.
Observers wait for Justice
As the clock ticks, many people who are observing the development are waiting if the supposed big names involved in the failed event will be made to face the music if found culpable or the matter will just continue until the bereaved forget the memories of their dead children.
