The estranged wife of the Ooni, Naomi Silekunola, has prayed for the repose of the souls of dozens of children killed in the Ibadan food stampede.

At least 35 children died in the stampede over free meals during a funfair at the Islamic High School, Bashorun Ibadan, last December. 

My prayer is for God to comfort the families and rest the souls of the children who lost their lives in the unfortunate occurrence. May the lord restore their joy and grant each of them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” she said in a post on social media.

Ms Silekunola, who the Oyo government criminally charged for the deaths, recently got a reprieve.

She expressed her regrets about the fatal funfair on Thursday after the Oyo government dropped the charges against her, the chairman of Agidigbo FM, Hamzat Oriyomi and Abdullahi Fasasi, the headteacher of Islamic High School, Bashorun Ibadan. 

“As a woman and a mother who for many years has been a passionate lover and advocate of children, my heart bleeds and goes out to the bereaved families whose children lost their lives in the event of 18th December 2024, which was intended for good but later ended up in a sad experience for us all,” the Ooni’s wife stated.

She explained that her message to condole with the family members of the deceased children was long overdue but noted that her “temporary incarceration” and order from the court made her silent following the tragedy. 

“Though we feel relieved by the outcome of today’s (Thursday) court proceeding. My heart and the heart of everyone directly affected still grieve the loss. Pray for our healing and ask for your prayers also.

“I appreciate the government of Oyo state. Thank you for acting in good fate. All lessons learned, and we will let it serve as a guide in the future,” Ms Silekunola said.

The government had charged Ms Silekunola, Messrs Hamzat and Fasasi with an 18-count criminal charge, including conspiracy to commit murder, manslaughter, criminal negligence, and other related charges. 

They were remanded at the Agodi prison and were later granted N10 million bail on January 14.