Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

A stampede at a school funfair in the city of Ibadan has actually killed 35 kids and seriously hurt six others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have given that been detained for their various involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed extensive sadness over the terrible incident”.

He offered his “genuine acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their beloved kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential step to avoid such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a thorough review of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of security regulations, and regular security audits of event locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, two trainees died and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

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

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips 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 stay with the families and loved ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose pleasure has actually unexpectedly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.