Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

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

The hurt children were getting medical attention following the occurrence, which occurred on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 individuals have because been jailed for their different involvements”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the primary 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed profound sadness over the terrible event”.

He provided his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning households who have actually lost their precious kids”.

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 events’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of safety policies, and routine safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen several lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 students died and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands gathered for free bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

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

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the households and enjoyed ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose pleasure has unexpectedly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he included.