Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern of Ibadan has actually killed 35 kids and seriously hurt six others, cops said on Thursday.

The hurt kids were getting medical attention following the incident, which happened on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 persons have since been apprehended for their various involvements”, police spokesperson 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 added.

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

He offered his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their precious kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every required step to prevent such a tragedy from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a detailed review of all public occasions’ security measures, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed 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 females who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to assist spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria grappled 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 disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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