Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually eliminated 35 children and seriously injured six others, authorities 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 stated.

“8 persons have given that been detained for their numerous involvements”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He offered his “genuine condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their beloved kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every needed step to prevent such a catastrophe from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the essential actions are a comprehensive review of all public occasions’ security steps, strict enforcement of safety guidelines, and regular security audits of event places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

has actually seen a number of fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two students died and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help spend 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 remain with the families and loved ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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