Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence occurred

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has killed 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, cops said on Thursday.

The hurt kids were receiving medical attention following the occurrence, which happened on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command said.

“8 persons have given that been jailed for their different involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained was the main sponsor of the event at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was organised by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio.

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

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “expressed profound sadness over the tragic occurrence”.

He offered his “genuine acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their precious children”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every needed measure to avoid such a disaster from persisting”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a thorough review of all public occasions’ precaution, strict enforcement of safety policies, and routine security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands collected for complimentary bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another killed 4 women who had actually 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 assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst recession in a generation.

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

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

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose joy has actually unexpectedly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.