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 35 children and seriously hurt 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 stated.

“8 individuals have actually considering that been apprehended for their numerous participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those detained 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He used his “sincere acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their cherished kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every essential procedure to prevent such a catastrophe from persisting”, the statement by the presidency added.

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

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst economic crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the households and loved ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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