Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

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

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

“8 persons have since been detained for their different involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the 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 opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He offered his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their beloved kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every needed measure to avoid such a catastrophe from returning”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public occasions’ security measures, stringent enforcement of safety policies, and routine security audits of event locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen several fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 women who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy businessman in the northern city 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 acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst financial crisis 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 households and liked ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose delight has unexpectedly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.