Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident occurred

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually eliminated 35 children and seriously hurt 6 others, authorities said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually considering that been jailed for their various involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those apprehended was the primary 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 added.

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

He offered his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their beloved children”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every needed procedure to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the important actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ safety steps, stringent enforcement of security policies, and regular safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands collected totally 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 workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the families and loved ones affected 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 added.