Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph reveals a general 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 eliminated 35 children and seriously hurt six others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually since been jailed for their various involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

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 added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed profound sadness over the tragic event”.

He provided his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their cherished children”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every necessary measure to prevent such a tragedy from persisting”, the statement by the .

“Among the important actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events’ safety procedures, stringent enforcement of security policies, and regular security audits of event venues,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees died and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to assist spend 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 recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the households and loved ones affected by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the parents whose delight has actually all of a sudden been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.