The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, urged the state high court in Ibadan not to grant bail to the ex-queen of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Shilekunola, Hamzat Oriyomi, and a school principal, Fasasi Abdullahi.
The court had on December 24 remanded the trio in prison over the death of 35 children during a Christmas Funfair they organised in Ibadan, which resulted in a fatal stampede.
The defendants spent both Christmas and New Year’s Day at the Nigerian Correctional Services facility in Agodi.
During Tuesday’s hearing at High Court 8, Ring Road, Ibadan, the defence counsel urged the court to admit them to bail but the Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, opposed the bail requests, insisting that the applicants had not shown sufficient grounds for their release.
“The bail request of the applicants must not be granted by the court,” Aikomo stated. He also countered claims of persecution by the state government, describing them as unfounded.
Earlier, the defence counsel argued that their clients’ detention was unconstitutional, citing procedural irregularities and challenging the court’s jurisdiction.
They maintained that the “holding charge” used to remand the suspects was not recognised under Nigeria’s Administration of Criminal Justice Act.