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 happened

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

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

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

Among those apprehended was the primary 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 statement “expressed profound sadness over the awful occurrence”.

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

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every necessary procedure to prevent such a catastrophe from persisting”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the necessary actions are a thorough evaluation of all public occasions’ security measures, strict enforcement of security policies, and regular safety audits of event locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several lethal stampedes in recent months.

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

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of 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 enjoyed ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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