Ibadan Stampede : Parents who smuggled children into venue are offenders not organisers- Actor Branch

A popular actor and film producer, Femi Branch, has reacted to the recent stampede that occurred in Ibadan resulting in the tragic deaths of many children.

The gathering, organised by Naomi Silekunola, the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, aimed to accommodate 5,000 attendees but the announcement of “free entry” along with promises of gifts and scholarships quickly attracted a much larger crowd. In anticipation of the event, hundreds of people camped outside the school to secure their spots.

The stampede prompted the arrest and arraignment of Naomi, as well as Oriyomi Hamzat, the CEO of Agidigbo FM, and Fasasi Abdullahi, the principal of Islamic High School.

Meanwhile, in an Instagram post addressing the incident, Branch suggested that the real responsibility lies with the parents who attempted to smuggle their children into the venue.

He emphasized that the event organisers were merely trying to provide a positive experience and labeled it “unfair” to cast blame on them for the unfortunate outcome.

Branch further questioned why parents who endangered their children by throwing them over the fence to gain entry had not faced legal consequences.

“This is not me trying to be insensitive about the plight of the children who died. It is very tragic. If the purpose is to blame those people responsible for the deaths. How is it the organiser?” he said.

“According to the report, people slept overnight. They were throwing their children over the fence. How is this the fault of the organisers? Is it a problem to do good in this country right now because we are dealing with so much, and the people once in a while, from the little they have, also touch people’s lives?

“I think people need to speak up about this. Why have the police not fished out those parents who threw their children over the fence and also charged them? Because as far as I am concerned, they are the offenders, not the organisers.

“The facts are clear. It is unfair for Oriyomi Hamzat and prophetess Naomi to be remanded on his matter. These people should be set free.”