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 occurred
A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually killed 35 children and seriously injured 6 others, police said on Thursday.
The injured children were receiving medical attention following the event, which took place on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.
“8 individuals have actually considering that been jailed for their various participations”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.
Among those detained was the primary sponsor of the event at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was arranged 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 terrible incident”.
He provided his “heartfelt acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning households who have lost their precious children”.
He urged the “Oyo State federal government to take every essential step to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the declaration by the presidency added.
“Among the important actions are an extensive evaluation of all public events’ precaution, strict enforcement of security guidelines, and regular security audits of event places,” Tinubu included.
– ‘Rest in peace’ –
Nigeria has actually seen several lethal stampedes in current months.
In March, 2 trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected for complimentary bags of rice distributed by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.
Later that month, another stampede eliminated four females who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy entrepreneur in the of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash gifts to help spend for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to acquire the cash, 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 remain with the families and loved ones affected by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.
“We sympathise with the parents whose delight has unexpectedly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.