Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This reveals a basic 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 actually killed 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have given that been arrested for their various participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those apprehended was the primary sponsor of the event 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 statement “expressed profound sadness over the terrible incident”.

He offered his “sincere acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their beloved children”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every necessary step to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the necessary actions are a comprehensive review of all public events’ security steps, strict enforcement of safety policies, and routine security audits of event locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four women who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a rich business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips 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 families and loved ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose joy has unexpectedly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he included.