The group lauded the general public for their love and prayers for Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat displayed during a recent peaceful demonstration held at Ibadan for the release of Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat and others in custody.
The Oriyomi Hamzat fans worldwide stated that as the law enforcement agents continue their statutory work, it seeks for the release of the benevolent and philanthropist, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat and others in continued detention knowing fully that they are not the direct cause of the stampede in Ibadan as they had good intentions which was to put smiles to hundreds of families towards last year's yuletide season.
In a statement released by the two coordinators of the Oriyomi Hamzat Fans USA and Canada,
Mrs Toyosi Oladipo and Mrs Rashidat Aina, they commiserated with the families of the victims in the stampede that occurred on December 18th, 2024, where the children lost their lives and prayed for the repose of the departed children, adding that due diligence should be done by the judicial system and Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and others should not be unnecessarily punished for their good intentions and heart of kindness even as the law continue to take its course.
“The fans of Oriyomi Hamzat US and Canada Chapter recognize that it is such a tragedy for the nation and the residents of Oyo State to lose such young children who have their future before them. May God give their families the fortitude to bear these irreparable, while we wish those that were admitted into the hospital a speedy recovery.
“We wish to express our gratitude to the general public for your love and prayers for Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat which was displayed during a recent peaceful demonstration conducted at Ibadan for the release of Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat and others in custody.
“We would like to state here that Oriyomi Hamzat USA and Canada Fam, have been monitoring the development regarding the unfortunate incident, we want the authority to know that we understand the need to conduct due diligence in an incident of this magnitude", says Mrs Oladipo and
The group also added that, "In as much as we appreciate authorities's intervention on this case. On behalf of Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, We plead with them to free him and others with him because an incident was very unfortunate situation. They meant well for those children. Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat especially has been helping children for years without any issues. A good example is Agidigbo children Carnival that he organizes every year. Many children benefit from this program."
The Oriyomi Hamzat Fam US/Canada Chapter noted that the sad encounter has brought sad lessons for different parties which must be imbibed in future. The lessons included: "We need to be more safety conscious. As an association, we are of the belief that people are very inpatient when it comes to free gifts. The measures to keep orderliness and to take care of emergency situations will be taken into consideration when planning.
"Also It is good to be good. Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat's good character and generosity that is acknowledged by the general public were displayed during this challenging time. We sympathize with the families of the victims and pray that God will give them strength to bear the loss.
The group pleads with the authorities to release Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat so they can continue his humanitarian mission in a very safety manner. We will continue our support for Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat on mission. Lastly, we call on policy makers to assist in putting in place policies that will avert recurrence of this ugly incident."
One of the Nigerian actors, Dr Bose Olubo-Adegeye who is an integral part of the Oriyomi Hamzat Fam US / Canada also urged the authorities to help to secure lives and properties in future public outings of such a scale to prevent such occurrence as it observed that what happened in the Ibadan stampede and then in Abuja and Anambra stampedes where precious lives were lost will not happen if security agencies and rapid response emergency agencies swing to action.
