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 eliminated 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, authorities said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually since been arrested for their different involvements”, police representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main 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 “expressed extensive unhappiness over the tragic incident”.

He used his “wholehearted acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have lost their precious children”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every essential measure to avoid such a disaster from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a detailed evaluation of all public occasions’ security procedures, rigorous enforcement of safety guidelines, and regular safety audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees died and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to assist spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the households and loved ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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