Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo reveals a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence happened

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

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

“8 individuals have given that been detained for their numerous involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained was the primary sponsor of the occasion at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was arranged by the 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 “revealed extensive sadness over the awful incident”.

He used his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their precious kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every essential step to avoid such a disaster from persisting”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ security procedures, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four ladies who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a rich businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, causing 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 disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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