Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows 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 eliminated 35 kids and seriously injured 6 others, authorities stated on Thursday.

The hurt kids were getting medical attention following the event, which occurred 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 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 arranged by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo .

The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department has opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed extensive sadness over the tragic event”.

He provided his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their cherished children”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential measure to avoid such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the essential actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ security measures, rigorous enforcement of safety policies, and regular security audits of occasion places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous deadly stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees died and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected for totally free bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 ladies who had been waiting outside the workplace of a rich businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to assist 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 recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the families and liked ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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