Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence happened

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has killed 35 children and seriously hurt 6 others, cops said on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually since been arrested for their different involvements”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso said 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 statement “expressed profound unhappiness over the tragic incident”.

He used his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their cherished kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every required procedure to prevent such a disaster from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency included.

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

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two students passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected totally free bags of out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 ladies 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) money gifts to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with 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 stay with the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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