Nigerian actor and movie director, Femi Branch has reacted to the stampede in in Ibadan, Oyo State, last week, which led to the tragic demise of over 40 people, mostly children.

The stampede occurred during an event at the Islamic High School in the Bashorun area, organized by the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, prophetess Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi.

The ill-fated event was organised by ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, the CEO of Agidigbo FM, Dr. Oriyomi Hamzat, and the principal of Islamic High School, Fasasi Abdullahi all of whom have been remanded in prison custody by a magistrate’s court.

Although the funfair was supposed to cater for 5,000 persons, there were reports that many parents smuggled their kids into the venue without the authorisation of the organisers.

Reacting to the sad news in a post, Branch expressed his view that the real culprits were the parents who smuggled their children into the event, not the organizers.

Branch questioned why the parents who threw their children over the fence to get into the event had not been held accountable.

He emphasized that the organizers intended to do good and said it was unfair to place the blame on them for the tragedy.

He wrote: “This is not me trying to be insensitive about the plight of the children who died. It is very tragic. If the purpose is to blame those people responsible for the deaths. How is it the organiser?

“According to the report, people slept overnight. They were throwing their children over the fence. How is this the fault of the organisers? Is it a problem to do good in this country right now because we are dealing with so much, and the people once in a while, from the little they have, also touch people’s lives?

“I think people need to speak up about this. Why have the police not fished out those parents who threw their children over the fence and also charged them? Because as far as I am concerned, they are the offenders, not the organisers.

“The facts are clear. It is unfair for Oriyomi Hamzat and prophetess Naomi to be remanded on his matter. These people should be set free.”