Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident happened

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually killed 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually since been arrested for their different participations”, police representative 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.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed profound sadness over the terrible occurrence”.

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

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every needed measure to avoid such a catastrophe from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a thorough review of all public events’ security procedures, stringent enforcement of safety policies, and routine safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

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

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four ladies who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst recession 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 liked ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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