Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph reveals 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 eliminated 35 children and seriously injured six others, authorities stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually because been detained for their various participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained was the main sponsor of the event 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 included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed extensive unhappiness over the terrible incident”.

He provided his “genuine condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have lost their precious children”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every necessary procedure to prevent such a tragedy from repeating”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a detailed review of all public occasions’ security measures, strict enforcement of safety guidelines, and routine security audits of occasion places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two trainees died and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands collected for free bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 females who had been waiting outside the office of a rich business person in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to assist spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, causing 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 catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose joy has unexpectedly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.