Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident took place

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has eliminated 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, cops stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually given that been arrested for their different involvements”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those apprehended 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “expressed extensive sadness over the awful incident”.

He offered his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving families who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every required procedure to prevent such a catastrophe from repeating”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the vital actions are a thorough review of all public occasions’ security measures, stringent enforcement of security guidelines, and routine security audits of event locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of deadly stampedes in current months.

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

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 ladies who had been waiting outside the office of a rich businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

members of the crowd pressed to acquire the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled 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 enjoyed ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose pleasure has actually unexpectedly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.