Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children
This aerial picture shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident happened
A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has killed 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, authorities 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 persons have actually since been jailed for their different involvements”, police representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a declaration.
Among those apprehended was the primary sponsor of the event 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 extensive unhappiness over the tragic incident”.
He his “sincere acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their precious children”.
He advised the “Oyo State government to take every needed measure to avoid such a disaster from repeating”, the statement by the presidency added.
“Among the essential actions are a detailed evaluation of all public events’ precaution, strict enforcement of security regulations, and regular safety audits of event venues,” Tinubu included.
– ‘Rest in peace’ –
Nigeria has actually seen several lethal stampedes in recent months.
In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands collected for complimentary bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.
Later that month, another stampede eliminated four women who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business owner in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to assist pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with its worst economic crisis 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 liked ones impacted by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde said.
“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose delight has actually unexpectedly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.