Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals 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 eliminated 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually given that been apprehended for their various participations”, police representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the event 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 awful event”.

He provided his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning households who have actually lost their cherished kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential procedure to prevent such a tragedy from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a detailed evaluation of all public events’ precaution, stringent enforcement of security guidelines, and regular safety audits of event locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands gathered for totally free bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to 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 remain with the families and loved ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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