Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a general 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 actually eliminated 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 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 various involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained was the main sponsor of the event at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was organised by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio.

The Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department has actually opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He offered his “sincere condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their precious children”.

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every needed measure to prevent such a disaster from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a comprehensive review of all public occasions’ security measures, stringent enforcement of security policies, and regular safety audits of event locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

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

Later that month, another stampede killed four females who had been waiting outside the office of a rich entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled 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 catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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