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 killed 35 kids and seriously hurt six others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have given that been detained for their different participations”, 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 opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “expressed extensive sadness over the tragic occurrence”.

He provided his “sincere condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning households who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every essential step to prevent such a catastrophe from returning”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a comprehensive review of all public occasions’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of security policies, and regular safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, two students died and 23 were hurt after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice given out by local 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 rich business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to assist spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst economic 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 families and enjoyed ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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