Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph 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 killed 35 kids and seriously injured six others, police said on Thursday.

The hurt children 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 various participations”, authorities Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended 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 opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

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

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every required step to prevent such a disaster from persisting”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the necessary actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public events’ security steps, stringent enforcement of safety guidelines, and regular security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected totally free bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 ladies who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a rich businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the families and loved ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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