Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence happened

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

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

“8 persons have actually since been jailed for their different participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those apprehended was the primary sponsor 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 included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “expressed extensive sadness over the awful incident”.

He offered his “genuine condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their precious kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every needed step to prevent such a catastrophe from repeating”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of safety regulations, and regular security audits of event places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

has actually seen several lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected totally free bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 ladies 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) money gifts to help spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst recession 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 tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose happiness has actually all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.