Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph 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 hurt 6 others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually since been jailed for their different involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed profound sadness over the awful occurrence”.

He used his “wholehearted acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving families who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every required measure to prevent such a disaster from repeating”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a thorough evaluation of all public occasions’ safety procedures, stringent enforcement of security regulations, and routine security audits of occasion places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees died and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands gathered for free bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central 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) cash presents to help spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and liked ones affected by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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