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 took place

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

The hurt children were getting medical attention following the event, which took location on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 persons have actually since been arrested for their different participations”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the primary 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 added.

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

He his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their precious kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every needed measure to prevent such a tragedy from returning”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the essential actions are an extensive evaluation of all public events’ security procedures, strict enforcement of security policies, and regular security audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen several lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two trainees died and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands collected for totally free bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

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

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced 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 remain with the households and loved ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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