Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photograph shows a general 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 killed 35 children and seriously injured six others, police stated on Thursday.

The injured children were receiving medical attention following the event, which happened on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command said.

“8 persons have since been apprehended for their different involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso said in a declaration.

Among those apprehended was the primary sponsor of the occasion at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was organised by the Wings Foundation and radio.

The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department has opened a probe, Osifeso added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “expressed profound sadness over the terrible event”.

He provided his “sincere acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have lost their cherished kids”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every necessary step to avoid such a disaster from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public events’ security measures, strict enforcement of safety regulations, and regular security audits of occasion places,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen several lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two students passed away and 23 were injured after being crushed as thousands collected for free bags of rice handed out by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede eliminated four ladies who had been waiting outside the office of a wealthy business person in the northern city 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 get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria grappled with 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 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 moms and dads whose pleasure has all of a sudden been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” he added.