Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals 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 killed 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, authorities said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually since been detained for their different participations”, police spokesperson Adewale said in a statement.

Among those detained was the primary 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 declaration “revealed profound unhappiness over the tragic event”.

He offered his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every required procedure to avoid such a catastrophe from persisting”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a thorough review of all public occasions’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous deadly stampedes in current months.

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

Later that month, another stampede killed four women who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with 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 stay with the families and liked ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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