Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in 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 hurt 6 others, cops stated on Thursday.

The hurt children were getting medical attention following the incident, which took location on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command said.

“8 persons have actually considering that been arrested for their different involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those detained was the primary 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 “revealed extensive unhappiness over the terrible event”.

He offered his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have actually lost their cherished kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every essential step to prevent such a disaster from persisting”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a detailed evaluation of all public events’ security measures, strict enforcement of security 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 injured after being crushed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst financial crisis in a generation.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde had shared his acknowledgements for the Ibadan victims on X on Wednesday.

“Our hearts stay with the families and enjoyed ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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