Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident took place

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

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

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

Among those detained was the of the occasion at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was organised 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 “revealed profound unhappiness over the awful event”.

He provided his “genuine acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their cherished kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every necessary procedure to prevent such a tragedy from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of deadly stampedes in current months.

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

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents 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, causing a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst economic crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and liked ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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