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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 took place

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has killed 35 kids and seriously hurt 6 others, authorities said 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 stated.

“8 individuals have actually because been arrested for their various involvements”, authorities representative Adewale Osifeso said in a statement.

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

He used his “genuine condolences” to residents, state authorities and the “mourning families who have actually lost their cherished kids”.

He prompted the “Oyo State federal government to take every necessary procedure to prevent such a tragedy from returning”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the necessary actions are a thorough evaluation of all public occasions’ safety steps, rigorous enforcement of safety policies, and routine security audits of occasion places,” Tinubu included.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

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

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

Later that month, another stampede eliminated 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the office of a wealthy businessman in the northern city of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to help spend for food throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses stated members of the crowd pressed to acquire the money, 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 stay with the families and liked ones impacted by this disaster. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose happiness has suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.