Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

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

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

“8 persons have actually considering that been jailed for their different participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those apprehended 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 added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “expressed profound unhappiness over the awful event”.

He offered his “genuine condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their precious kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every required procedure to avoid such a catastrophe from reoccurring”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a thorough evaluation of all public occasions’ safety procedures, stringent enforcement of security policies, and routine security audits of event locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four women who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy entrepreneur in the of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced 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 tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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