Yohaig 9JA

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 took place

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

The hurt kids were getting medical attention following the incident, which took place on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command said.

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

Among those detained was the main sponsor of the occasion 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 “expressed profound sadness over the awful event”.

He used his “wholehearted acknowledgements” to residents, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their beloved kids”.

He advised the “Oyo State government to take every necessary procedure to avoid such a catastrophe from returning”, the declaration by the presidency included.

“Among the important actions are a comprehensive evaluation of all public occasions’ security steps, stringent enforcement of security guidelines, and regular safety audits of occasion venues,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has actually seen several lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, two students passed away and 23 were harmed after being squashed as thousands gathered totally free bags of rice given out by regional authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another 4 women who had been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy entrepreneur in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) money presents to help spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pressed to get hold of the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria faced its worst recession in a generation.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde had actually shared his acknowledgements for the Ibadan victims on X on Wednesday.

“Our hearts remain with the households and liked ones impacted by this catastrophe. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“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.