Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident occurred

A stampede at a in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has eliminated 35 kids and seriously injured six others, police said on Thursday.

The injured kids were receiving medical attention following the event, which occurred on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 individuals have actually given that been jailed for their various participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the event 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 extensive sadness over the terrible incident”.

He provided his “genuine acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have lost their beloved children”.

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

“Among the essential actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ security steps, strict enforcement of safety regulations, and regular security audits of occasion places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of fatal stampedes in recent months.

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

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the households and loved ones affected by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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