Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a general 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 killed 35 children and seriously injured six others, authorities stated on Thursday.

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

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

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 added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed profound sadness over the terrible event”.

He offered his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their beloved kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every necessary step to prevent such a catastrophe from reoccurring”, the by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a comprehensive review of all public occasions’ security steps, stringent enforcement of safety policies, and regular security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 students died and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst economic crisis in a generation.

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

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

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