Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually killed 35 children and seriously hurt 6 others, authorities said on Thursday.

The injured children were receiving medical attention following the occurrence, which took place on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 individuals have actually considering that been jailed for their different participations”, police representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the primary 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 opened a probe, Osifeso included.

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

He provided his “heartfelt condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their precious kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every essential procedure to prevent such a disaster from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the necessary actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events’ safety procedures, stringent enforcement of safety regulations, and regular security audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

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

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a rich businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, causing 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 families and liked ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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