Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the event took place

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

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

“8 individuals have because been arrested for their numerous involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those detained was the main 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso added.

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

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

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

“Among the vital actions are a thorough review of all public occasions’ safety procedures, strict enforcement of safety policies, and routine security audits of occasion locations,” .

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of deadly stampedes in recent months.

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

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a rich business person in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst economic 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 households and liked ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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