Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident took place

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

The hurt kids were receiving medical attention following the event, which occurred on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 individuals have actually given that been apprehended for their numerous participations”, police representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained 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 statement “revealed profound unhappiness over the awful occurrence”.

He provided his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their cherished kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every necessary measure to prevent such a catastrophe from reoccurring”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the necessary actions are a thorough review of all public occasions’ security steps, stringent enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, two students passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected for complimentary bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a rich business person in the of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst recession 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 families and enjoyed ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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