Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the event occurred

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

The injured children were receiving medical attention following the event, which took place on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 persons have actually because been jailed for their various involvements”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained was the main sponsor of the event 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 statement “revealed extensive unhappiness over the terrible event”.

He offered his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their cherished children”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every necessary step to avoid such a disaster from returning”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ safety procedures, stringent enforcement of safety policies, and regular safety audits of event venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 women who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, 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 stay with the families and liked ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose happiness has actually all of a sudden been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.