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 took place

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

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

“8 persons have actually given that been detained for their different involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained was the main 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 awful event”.

He provided his “heartfelt condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every needed procedure to avoid such a tragedy from returning”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events’ safety measures, rigorous enforcement of security policies, and regular security audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two students died and 23 were hurt after being squashed as free of charge bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the families and liked ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

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