Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows 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 eliminated 35 kids and seriously injured six others, police said on Thursday.

The hurt children were receiving medical attention following the occurrence, which took location on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

„8 individuals have since been apprehended for their various participations“, police representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a .

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 included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement „revealed profound sadness over the tragic occurrence“.

He provided his „sincere acknowledgements“ to residents, state authorities and the „grieving families who have lost their precious kids“.

He advised the „Oyo State federal government to take every essential measure to avoid such a disaster from persisting“, the statement by the presidency added.

„Among the necessary actions are a thorough evaluation of all public events‘ security procedures, stringent enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of event locations,“ Tinubu included.

– ‚Rest in peace‘ –

Nigeria has seen numerous fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 trainees died and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed four females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to acquire 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 stay with the households and liked ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,“ Makinde stated.

„We sympathise with the parents whose happiness has unexpectedly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,“ he included.