Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a general 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 actually killed 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, authorities stated on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have considering that been detained for their various involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed extensive unhappiness over the terrible occurrence”.

He offered his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their precious children”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every required procedure to avoid such a disaster from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the essential actions are a detailed review of all public events’ precaution, stringent enforcement of safety regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands collected for totally free bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, 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 remain with the households and enjoyed ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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