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 hurt 6 others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

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

Among those apprehended was the main 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 has opened a probe, Osifeso added.

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

He provided his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving families who have actually lost their cherished children”.

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

“Among the essential actions are a thorough review of all public events’ safety steps, stringent enforcement of security regulations, and routine safety audits of event locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in recent months.

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

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to acquire the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the households and enjoyed ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose pleasure has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.