Yohaig

Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the occurrence happened

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has actually killed 35 children and seriously hurt six others, authorities stated on Thursday.

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

“8 individuals have actually because been jailed for their different participations”, authorities spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated 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 actually opened a probe, Osifeso included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a statement “revealed extensive sadness over the terrible event”.

He offered his “genuine acknowledgements” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving families who have actually lost their beloved children”.

He advised the “Oyo State federal government to take every necessary procedure to avoid such a tragedy from reoccurring”, the statement by the presidency added.

“Among the important actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public occasions’ precaution, stringent enforcement of security regulations, and routine safety audits of event locations,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen a number of fatal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two trainees passed away and 23 were harmed after being crushed as thousands collected free of charge bags of rice handed out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in .

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 ladies 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) money gifts to help pay for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to get hold of the cash, triggering a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst financial crisis 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 impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the moms and dads whose pleasure has actually suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he added.