Ibadan Stampede: Primate Ayodele Defends Organizers, Slams False Ritual Claims

Primate Elijah Ayodele has urged the Nigerian government to release Oriyomi Hamzat and Naomi Silekunola, who were arrested for organizing the Ibadan children’s Christmas party that tragically led to the death through stampede of over 30 children.

According to a statement from his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele emphasized that the organizers did not commit any crime, as they were only trying to help the people and support the government’s efforts.

He strongly criticized a well-known pastor, Marcus Tibetan, who claimed the tragedy was part of a ritual planned by the organizers. Primate Ayodele condemned the pastor, calling him “a devil’s incarnate” who has never done anything positive for society. He stated, “Oriyomi Hamzat and Naomi have not done anything wrong, they didn’t do any ritual as claimed by some pastors. Those pastors are the devil incarnate, they are doomed in their calling and will open their virus-infested mouths to spill rubbish. They can’t do anything to help humanity.”

Primate Ayodele went on to explain that the organizers’ intentions were pure, and they were only trying to assist the government in helping the people. He appealed to the government, saying, “The government cannot do it alone, the organizers are only helping the government by reaching out to the downtrodden. They did it out of pure heart and the government should tamper justice with mercy and consider letting them go.”

While he sympathized with the families who lost children in the stampede, Primate Ayodele blamed the tragedy on negligence. He reiterated that the organizers were not responsible for the deaths and pointed to poverty as the root cause, explaining that people’s desperation led them to gather in large numbers. “For the family that lost their children, I sympathize with them but it is their negligence. Naomi and Oriyomi are not responsible for the death, they did all they did out of pure heart and this happened because of the level of poverty in our land, things are very difficult and these philanthropists cannot be blamed.”

He also referred to a viral video showing thousands of people outside President Tinubu’s residence in Lagos, waiting for handouts, which he said was a reflection of widespread hunger and hardship in the country. “Tinubu’s house was also filled with thousands of people waiting for tokens because there is really so much hardship in the land. I blame the president, governors, and security operatives because if there was food, no one would go there to collect N5,000,” he concluded.

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