Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph reveals a general view of the city of Ibadan in Nigeria, where the incident happened

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

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

“8 individuals have actually considering that been apprehended for their different participations”, police representative Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

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 statement “revealed extensive sadness over the terrible occurrence”.

He provided his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have lost their cherished kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every required measure to avoid such a disaster from persisting”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are an extensive review of all public occasions’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and routine safety audits of event places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 students died and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected for free bags of rice handed out 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 workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

“Our hearts stay with the families and enjoyed ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose delight has actually all of a sudden been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.