Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a general 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 killed 35 kids and seriously hurt six others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have because been apprehended for their various involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

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 included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed extensive sadness over the terrible incident”.

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

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential step to avoid such a disaster from persisting”, the declaration by the .

“Among the important actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ security steps, stringent enforcement of safety guidelines, and regular safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands gathered for free bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four ladies 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 presents to help pay for food during 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 generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the families and liked ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose joy has actually suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.