Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a general 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 children and seriously hurt 6 others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have given that been arrested for their different participations”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a .

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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed extensive unhappiness over the tragic event”.

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

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential measure to avoid such a catastrophe from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a comprehensive review of all public events’ safety measures, strict enforcement of safety guidelines, and routine safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 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 pushed to get hold of the cash, causing 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 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 happiness has unexpectedly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.