Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows 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 children and seriously hurt six others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

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

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 profound unhappiness over the tragic incident”.

He provided his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their cherished children”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every required procedure to avoid such a catastrophe from repeating”, the statement by the .

“Among the vital actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events’ security measures, stringent enforcement of security policies, and routine security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen several lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 students died and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four females who had been waiting outside the office of a rich business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 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 pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst economic crisis 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 enjoyed ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the parents whose pleasure has actually suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.