Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence happened

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has eliminated 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, authorities said on Thursday.

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

« 8 persons have because been detained for their various involvements », authorities representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main 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 opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration « revealed profound unhappiness over the tragic occurrence ».

He used his « heartfelt acknowledgements » to locals, state authorities and the « grieving families who have actually lost their precious kids ».

He prompted the « Oyo State federal government to take every needed measure to avoid such a tragedy from reoccurring », the statement by the presidency added.

« Among the necessary actions are an extensive evaluation of all public events’ precaution, stringent enforcement of safety regulations, and regular safety audits of event locations, » .

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected for totally free 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 business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced 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 liked ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace, » Makinde stated.

« We sympathise with the moms and dads whose delight has unexpectedly been turned to mourning due to these deaths, » he included.