The detention of the former queen, Naomi Silekunola, is a disgrace in Yorubaland and a stain on the ethnic group, according to some Yoruba elders who are affiliated with the Kaaro Oojiire Omo Oodua Foundation (KOOOF).
The elders demanded their immediate release, claiming that the incarceration of the well-known broadcaster Hamzat Oriyomi and the principal of the Islamic High School in Bashorun, Mr. Abdullahi Fasasi, was unfair.
In a statement released by its chairman, Asiwaju Olu Mayungbe, the group insisted that the circumstances surrounding their remand were alarming and raised questions about the fairness of the country’s justice system.
The ex-queen, who was married to Oba Eniitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, before she left over some irreconcilable differences, was among those detained for the tragic funfair in Ibadan approximately two weeks ago, which resulted in the deaths of thirty-five minors.
Mayungbe said, “Going to a month, Queen Naomi has been incarcerated, a situation deemed an abomination and a blemishment on the Yorùbá people, humanitarian givers, families of the victims, and those wrongly remanded.”
While calling for justice, the group urged the government to “immediately release the unjustly detained humanitarians, provide compensation and support to the affected families, and address the root causes of poverty and economic hardship in our society.”
“The irony is glaring: Parents who, out of desperation, threw their children over the fence, leading to their deaths, are not being held accountable. Instead, the humanitarians who attempted to assist are being unjustly incarcerated and remanded without trial.”
“This blatant disregard for human rights and the Rule of Law sends a chilling message to other would-be humanitarians: that their efforts to provide aid and support to the vulnerable will be met with persecution.”