Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the event occurred

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

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

“8 individuals have actually because been detained for their different involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained was the primary sponsor of the event 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 added.

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

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

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every needed measure to avoid such a catastrophe from persisting”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the necessary actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public occasions’ security procedures, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and routine safety audits of event places,” .

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, two trainees died and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy 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 stated members of the crowd pushed to acquire the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst economic crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the households 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 pleasure has actually suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he included.