Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the event 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 injured children were receiving medical attention following the event, which happened on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 persons have actually considering that been jailed for their numerous participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained was the primary sponsor of the occasion 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 “expressed profound sadness over the tragic event”.

He provided his “wholehearted acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their precious kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every necessary step to avoid such a disaster from reoccurring”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the necessary actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, strict enforcement of safety policies, and regular safety audits of event places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two students passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as free of charge bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

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

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

“We sympathise with the parents whose delight has suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.