Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo reveals a general 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 eliminated 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, authorities said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually because been arrested for their various participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained was the primary 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 declaration “revealed profound unhappiness over the tragic event”.

He offered his “genuine acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their beloved kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential measure to avoid such a catastrophe from persisting”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are an extensive evaluation of all public events’ security procedures, rigorous enforcement of safety policies, and regular safety audits of event places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of deadly stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands gathered for totally free bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four ladies who had been waiting outside the workplace of a rich business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to help spend 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 grappled with its worst economic 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 families and loved ones affected by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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