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 killed 35 kids and seriously injured six others, police stated on Thursday.

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

“8 persons have actually since been detained for their various involvements”, authorities 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “expressed profound unhappiness over the terrible event”.

He used his “sincere condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their cherished children”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every needed step to avoid such a tragedy from returning”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the important actions are a detailed evaluation of all public events’ safety steps, stringent enforcement of security guidelines, and regular security audits of event venues,” Tinubu added.

in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in recent months.

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

Later that month, another stampede killed four women who had actually 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 help pay for food during 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 actually shared his acknowledgements for the Ibadan victims on X on Wednesday.

“Our hearts stay with the families and loved 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 mourning due to these deaths,” he added.