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 actually eliminated 35 kids and seriously injured six others, authorities said on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually considering that been arrested for their different participations”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

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 opened a probe, Osifeso included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “expressed profound sadness over the tragic event”.

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

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential step to prevent such a catastrophe from persisting”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the necessary actions are a detailed evaluation of all public events’ precaution, strict enforcement of security guidelines, and regular safety audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen several fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 students died and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands collected for bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 ladies 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 pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to acquire the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the families and loved ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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