Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence occurred

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

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

“8 persons have actually since been detained for their different involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained was the main sponsor of the occasion 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed profound unhappiness over the awful event”.

He used his “wholehearted condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every needed step to avoid such a disaster from persisting”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a thorough review of all public events’ security steps, stringent enforcement of safety guidelines, and routine safety audits of event venues,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were injured after being crushed 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 killed four women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 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 acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst financial 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 families and loved ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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