Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture 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 eliminated 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, police stated on Thursday.

The injured kids 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 actually given that been detained for their different involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the primary 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 unhappiness over the awful occurrence”.

He provided his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their cherished children”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every necessary measure to prevent such a tragedy from repeating”, the statement by the .

“Among the essential actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of safety regulations, and routine security audits of event places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four women who had actually 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 assist spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the money, 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 households and liked ones affected by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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