Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial picture shows a general 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 killed 35 kids and seriously hurt six others, cops said on Thursday.

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

«8 persons have since been apprehended for their different participations», police representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

Among those detained was the main 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 included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement «expressed profound unhappiness over the tragic event».

He offered his «wholehearted acknowledgements» to locals, state authorities and the «grieving families who have lost their beloved children».

He urged the «Oyo State federal government to take every needed procedure to prevent such a tragedy from returning», the declaration by the presidency added.

«Among the essential actions are a comprehensive review of all public occasions’ security measures, stringent enforcement of security policies, and regular safety audits of occasion venues,» Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen a number of fatal stampedes in current months.

In March, 2 away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in central Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four women who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business person in the northern city of Bauchi to gather 5,000 naira ($3.40) money gifts to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the money, 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 enjoyed ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,» Makinde said.

«We sympathise with the moms and dads whose pleasure has actually all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,» he included.