Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph 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 actually eliminated 35 kids and seriously injured 6 others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually because been detained for their different involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main 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 opened a probe, Osifeso added.

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

He provided his “sincere acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their cherished children”.

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential procedure to prevent such a disaster from persisting”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the necessary actions are a comprehensive review of all public occasions’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of safety guidelines, and regular safety audits of event locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands gathered for free bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 women who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) to help spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to acquire the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and loved ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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