Ibadan Stampede: ‘Naomi Was Treated Like Terrorist’

The sister to the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola, Simi Oluwaseyi, has alleged that the embattled prophetess was treated like a terrorist during the arraignment in court.

Naijaonpoint reports that this comes after their mother, Fumilayo Oluwaseyi, in a video shared online, pleaded with President Bola Tinubu for intervention.

In a social media post, Simi recounted the sister’s ordeal while in detention, noting she was charged with murder during the arraignment at the court.

She claimed that her family members were denied access to Naomi, adding that those she contacted said the offence was bailable.

She said, “All my sister did was try to put smiles on the faces of children this Christmas, which she had been doing for years. Unfortunately, this year didn’t play out the way we planned it. Innocent children lost their lives. I am deeply sorry about this sad occurrence. My heart bleeds for them all. Howeve, my sister was arrested and detained for more than 6 days and on the third day, she collapsed when she was being interrogated by the DSS and was rushed to the hospital.

“She was arraigned at a magistrate court, and the judgement was for her to be remanded. One of the counts against her was murder. The children’s funfair was supposed to start at 10 am, but people got there as early as 4am. The Sad incident occurred around 6 am to 7 am.

“The doctors at the police hospital checked my sister’s BP and it was said to be very high up till when they were taking her to court. When she was detained, she had no access to us. My mummy had to beg every day before she was allowed entry. She was not allowed to use her phone. I had to beg her son to be allowed to see her at the police hospital.

“She wasn’t supposed to appear before a magistrate court but a High court. Everyone I have contacted keeps telling me it is a bailable offense. But somehow, the law is saying otherwise. At the court, she was being treated like a terrorist, more than 40 policemen were on ground. Only my mother and brother was allowed to sit in court.”