Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

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

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

“8 persons have actually given that been jailed for their different participations”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the occasion at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was arranged by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio.

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

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed extensive unhappiness over the awful incident”.

He provided his “wholehearted acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning households who have actually lost their precious children”.

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

“Among the important actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ precaution, strict enforcement of safety regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in recent months.

In March, two students died and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands collected for free bags of rice given out by regional authorities at State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 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, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst financial crisis 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 families and loved ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose pleasure has unexpectedly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.