Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a general 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 killed 35 kids and seriously injured six others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have considering that been jailed for their numerous involvements”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He provided his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their cherished kids”.

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

“Among the important actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of security policies, and regular security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another 4 women who had been waiting outside the workplace of a rich entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to assist spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst economic crisis 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 households and enjoyed ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the parents whose happiness has all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.