Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a general view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the event happened

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

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

“8 persons have because been arrested for their different participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the occasion at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was organised by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio.

The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department has opened a probe, Osifeso added.

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

He used his “sincere acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their cherished children”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every essential step to avoid such a disaster from reoccurring”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a thorough evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, two students passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four ladies who had been waiting outside the office of a rich businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to assist spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the money, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with 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 stay with the households and enjoyed ones impacted 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 included.