Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo reveals 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 kids and seriously injured six others, police stated on Thursday.

The injured kids were getting medical attention following the incident, which occurred on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command said.

“8 persons have actually considering that been detained for their different participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the primary sponsor of the event 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 declaration “revealed extensive unhappiness over the awful incident”.

He offered his “heartfelt condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their precious children”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential procedure to prevent such a disaster from persisting”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public events’ safety measures, stringent enforcement of security policies, and routine security audits of occasion places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected for free bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another killed four ladies who had actually been waiting outside the office of a rich business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

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

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and loved ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose delight has suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.