Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident took place

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually eliminated 35 children and seriously hurt 6 others, police said on Thursday.

The injured children were receiving medical attention following the event, which took location on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 persons have since been apprehended for their various involvements”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the occasion at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was arranged by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio.

The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department has opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “expressed extensive sadness over the awful incident”.

He used his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their beloved kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every necessary step to avoid such a tragedy from persisting”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public occasions’ security procedures, strict enforcement of security guidelines, and regular security audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were hurt after being crushed as totally free bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 women who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst economic crisis in a generation.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde had actually shared his condolences for the Ibadan victims on X on Wednesday.

“Our hearts remain with the families and liked ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose happiness has all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he included.