Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a basic 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 actually killed 35 kids and seriously injured six others, cops said on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have considering that been apprehended for their various participations”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those detained was the main 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

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

He used his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their beloved children”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential measure to prevent such a tragedy from persisting”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a detailed review of all public occasions’ security steps, rigorous enforcement of safety policies, and regular safety audits of event venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

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

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst financial crisis in a .

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

“Our hearts stay with the families and enjoyed ones affected by this tragedy. 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 mourning due to these deaths,” he included.