Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the event took place

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has 35 children and seriously hurt six others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually given that been apprehended for their different involvements”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the primary sponsor of the occasion 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 opened a probe, Osifeso added.

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

He offered his “genuine acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their precious children”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every needed step to avoid such a tragedy from persisting”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events’ precaution, strict enforcement of security guidelines, and routine security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands gathered for complimentary bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

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

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst economic crisis 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 households and loved ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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