Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a basic 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 eliminated 35 children and seriously hurt six others, cops stated on Thursday.

The injured children were receiving medical attention following the incident, which occurred on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State said.

“8 persons have actually given that been jailed for their different involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those apprehended 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 Department has opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He offered his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have lost their cherished children”.

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

“Among the essential actions are a thorough evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of safety regulations, and regular security audits of event locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous lethal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 students passed away and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands collected totally free bags of rice given out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 females who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to assist 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 came to grips with its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain 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 pleasure has all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he included.