Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident occurred

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

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

“8 persons have actually given that been jailed for their different involvements”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

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 included.

Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed extensive sadness over the awful event”.

He offered his “heartfelt condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their beloved children”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every needed step to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the essential actions are an extensive review of all public events’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of security guidelines, and routine safety audits of event places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were hurt after being crushed 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 killed four ladies who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to assist spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst economic crisis 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 households and liked ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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