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 actually killed 35 kids and seriously injured six others, authorities stated on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have considering that been jailed for their numerous involvements”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the event at the 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 included.

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

He offered his “wholehearted condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their cherished kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential step to prevent such a tragedy from returning”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a detailed evaluation of all public events’ precaution, strict enforcement of security regulations, and routine safety audits of event places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands collected for totally free bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to assist spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips 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 households and enjoyed ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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