Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a basic 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 actually eliminated 35 children and seriously injured six others, cops said on Thursday.

The injured children were getting medical attention following the event, which took place on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 individuals have actually considering that been detained for their numerous involvements”, cops 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 opened a probe, Osifeso included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “expressed profound unhappiness over the awful incident”.

He used his “wholehearted condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their cherished kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every required measure to avoid such a catastrophe from returning”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the important actions are an extensive evaluation of all public events’ security measures, rigorous enforcement of safety policies, and routine safety audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen numerous fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected for totally free bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

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

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the money, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst financial crisis 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 liked ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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