Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo reveals 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 actually eliminated 35 kids and seriously injured 6 others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually considering that been jailed for their various participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those detained was the primary 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 added.

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

He offered his “genuine acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their precious children”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every necessary step to avoid such a tragedy from persisting”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a thorough evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of safety guidelines, and regular security audits of event locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four ladies who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst recession in a generation.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde had actually 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 left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose joy has actually all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he included.