Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident took place

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has killed 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, authorities stated on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually given that been apprehended for their various involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a .

Among those detained 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 opened a probe, Osifeso added.

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

He provided his “wholehearted acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their precious kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every required step to avoid such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of security policies, and routine safety audits of event venues,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 ladies who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts 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 came to grips with its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and enjoyed ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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