Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident occurred

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

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

“8 individuals have actually since been jailed for their different participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those apprehended was the main 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 opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

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

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every essential step to avoid such a catastrophe from returning”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a detailed evaluation of all public events’ security procedures, stringent enforcement of safety regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two away and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a rich entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to assist spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and loved ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose joy has all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.