GistReel

Media personality Oriyomi Hamzat has broken his silence on the tragic stampede that occurred at a funfair event in Ibadan, shifting blame to the parents for the chaos that led to casualties.

Speaking in a detailed recount of the incident, Hamzat defended Prophetess Naomi, the event’s organizer, and highlighted the challenges encountered during the preparation and execution of the program.

Hamzat revealed that he visited the venue the day before the event to inspect arrangements, emphasizing the need for proper security and ticketing. He recounted how he insisted on printing 5,500 tickets to manage the crowd after noting that Ibadan’s audience might differ from other locations the event had covered.

However, things spiralled out of control as early as 4 a.m. on the event day, with parents gathering at the venue despite the program being scheduled for 10 a.m.

By 5:45 a.m., Hamzat arrived to find roads blocked and mothers throwing their children over the fence in a bid to secure access. Tragically, one child reportedly died after hitting his head on the ground when his mother threw him over the fence, assuming someone would catch him.

Hamzat criticized the parents’ actions, questioning how Prophetess Naomi could be blamed for such recklessness.

Oriyomi Hamzat on Ibadan Stampede Tragedy

“A day before the funfair, I went to inspect the venue to ensure that all the necessary things were in place. Prophetess Naomi was there and she said the place was more spacious than the place they wanted to use.

“I asked about the security arrangement and she said the security will be there by 8am. I told her and the team that Ibadan is different from the other places they have been using so I promised to give her 200 boys that will be giving out tickets to the children. She didn’t plan to use tickets initially.

“I arranged how 5500 tickets would be printed. The following day, I got to the venue at about 5:45am. I saw a lot of crowd. All roads were blocked. Mothers have started throwing their kids over the fence.

“The program was scheduled to start at 10am and security men were expected at 8am. I started begging that everybody should go back home. They refused to listen to me.

“Over 2000 mothers threw their kids over the fence as at 5:45am. I was told they have been throwing their kids since 4am. Even though we were expecting 5000 kids, Naomi rented 7000 chairs because I told her to make provision for mothers that would bring their kids.

“Stampede started happening at 7am. A woman said she threw her son over the fence thinking that someone would catch him but the child h!t his head on the ground and d!ed on the spot. One woman gathered her neighbor’s kids and brought 19 children to the venue. HOW WAS IT NAOMI’S FAULT that parents were throwing their kids?”