Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture reveals a basic view of the city of Ibadan in 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 hurt six others, police stated on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have since been arrested for their numerous participations”, cops representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those detained was the primary 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 extensive unhappiness over the tragic event”.

He offered his “sincere condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their precious kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every required measure to prevent such a tragedy from returning”, the statement by the presidency included.

“Among the vital actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events’ precaution, rigorous enforcement of security regulations, and routine safety audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several deadly stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands gathered for complimentary bags of rice given out by local 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 entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst recession in a generation.

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

“Our hearts remain with the households and loved ones affected by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose happiness has all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he included.