Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

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

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

“8 persons have considering that been apprehended for their different participations”, cops spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.

Among those detained 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 “expressed extensive unhappiness over the tragic incident”.

He offered his “heartfelt condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning households who have actually lost their beloved kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every required step to prevent such a disaster from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are an extensive evaluation of all public occasions’ security procedures, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and routine security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in current months.

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

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 ladies who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy businessman in the of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced 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 stay with the families and enjoyed ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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