Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

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

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

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

“8 persons have actually considering that been detained for their various participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated 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 “revealed extensive sadness over the terrible event”.

He used his “sincere condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have lost their beloved children”.

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every essential step to prevent such a catastrophe from repeating”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the necessary actions are a detailed review of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of safety guidelines, and routine security audits of event venues,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous fatal stampedes in current months.

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

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

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, 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 loved ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

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