Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a basic 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 eliminated 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually since been apprehended for their numerous participations”, police representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those detained was the primary sponsor of the occasion 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 sadness over the terrible event”.

He offered his “genuine acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their beloved kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every required procedure to avoid such a tragedy from repeating”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a comprehensive review of all public events’ security procedures, rigorous enforcement of safety regulations, and routine security audits of event locations,” .

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous deadly stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees died and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four 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) money presents to assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and enjoyed ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose joy has suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.