Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a basic 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 children and seriously hurt six others, cops stated on Thursday.

The injured kids were receiving 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 considering that been arrested for their numerous participations”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

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 added.

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

He provided his “heartfelt condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their precious children”.

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every needed measure to prevent such a tragedy from returning”, the declaration by the added.

“Among the important actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ safety steps, stringent enforcement of safety guidelines, and routine safety audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands collected for free bags of rice distributed 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 businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to assist pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst economic crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and liked ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose happiness has actually suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.