Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This shows a basic 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 killed 35 kids and seriously injured six others, police said on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have since been jailed for their different involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

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 “revealed profound sadness over the tragic event”.

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

He prompted the “Oyo State government to take every needed measure to prevent such a disaster from persisting”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a detailed evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of safety policies, and regular safety audits of event places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

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

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

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering 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 households and loved ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose pleasure has unexpectedly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.