Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This reveals a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the event occurred

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

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

“8 persons have given that been detained for their various participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said 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 opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He provided his “genuine acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have lost their precious children”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential step to avoid such a disaster from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a comprehensive review of all public events’ precaution, stringent enforcement of security policies, and regular security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, two students passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected for complimentary bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a rich business person in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst recession in a generation.

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

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

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