Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually eliminated 35 children and seriously hurt 6 others, police said on Thursday.

The hurt kids 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 because been arrested for their different participations”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those apprehended was the primary 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 statement “revealed extensive unhappiness over the awful occurrence”.

He provided his “wholehearted condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their cherished kids”.

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

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

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous fatal in recent months.

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

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

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed 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 acknowledgements for the Ibadan victims on X on Wednesday.

“Our hearts remain with the families and loved ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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