Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a general 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 actually eliminated 35 kids and seriously injured six others, cops said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have since been detained for their various participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained was the main sponsor of the event 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 occurrence”.

He offered his “genuine condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have lost their beloved kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every essential measure to avoid such a tragedy from returning”, the declaration by the presidency added.

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

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, two students passed away and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help spend 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 recession in a generation.

Oyo State Governor Seyi 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 stated.

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