Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence occurred

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

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

“8 persons have given that been apprehended for their different participations”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main 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 declaration “revealed profound sadness over the terrible incident”.

He used his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their precious children”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every required step to avoid such a tragedy from returning”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a detailed evaluation of all public occasions’ safety steps, stringent enforcement of safety policies, and regular security audits of event places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 students died and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 ladies who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the families and loved ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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