Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a basic 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 children and seriously injured six others, cops said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually since been apprehended for their various involvements”, police representative Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained 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 declaration “revealed extensive sadness over the awful event”.

He offered his “sincere acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their cherished children”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every needed procedure to avoid such a disaster from persisting”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the essential actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events’ security measures, strict enforcement of security regulations, and regular security audits of event places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four women who had 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 help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of 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 for the Ibadan victims on X on Wednesday.

“Our hearts stay with the households and loved ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose joy has actually suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.