The Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Agidigbo FM, Ibadan, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, has provided details about the stampede that tragically took the lives of 35 children during a funfair event.
Speaking on the incident, Hamzat explained that he had visited the venue the day before to ensure all arrangements were in order. According to him, Prophetess Naomi, who was overseeing the event, deemed the venue suitable and confirmed that security personnel would arrive by 8 a.m. Hamzat suggested using tickets to manage the crowd, as Naomi had not initially planned to do so. He personally arranged for 5,500 tickets to be printed and promised to provide 200 helpers to distribute them.
“I arrived at the venue by 5:45 a.m. and was shocked to see a massive crowd. Roads were blocked, and mothers had started throwing their children over the fence,” Hamzat recounted. “The program was scheduled to start at 10 a.m., and security was expected by 8 a.m., but the crowd was already out of control.”
Hamzat revealed that by 5:45 a.m., over 2,000 mothers were throwing their children over the fence, with reports indicating this had started as early as 4 a.m. Despite expectations for 5,000 children, Naomi had rented 7,000 chairs to accommodate additional attendees. However, the event spiraled into chaos.
“At around 7 a.m., stampedes began. One woman said she threw her child over the fence, believing someone would catch him, but he tragically hit his head on the ground and died instantly. Another woman brought 19 children from her neighborhood to the venue,” he said.
Hamzat defended Prophetess Naomi, questioning how the tragedy could be blamed on her when parents engaged in reckless behavior. “How was it Naomi’s fault that parents were throwing their kids over the fence?” he asked.
The incident has drawn widespread attention and sparked debates over crowd management and parental responsibility at public events.
