Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident happened

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

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

„8 persons have considering that been jailed for their various involvements”, police representative Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those detained was the primary sponsor of the occasion 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 unhappiness over the terrible occurrence”.

He offered his „wholehearted condolences” to residents, state authorities and the „mourning households who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He urged the „Oyo State government to take every needed step to prevent such a disaster from returning”, the statement by the presidency added.

„Among the essential actions are a detailed evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, strict enforcement of security policies, and routine safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were hurt after being squashed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 women who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a rich businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst financial crisis in a generation.

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

„Our hearts stay with the households and loved ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

„We sympathise with the moms and dads whose joy has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.