A Christmas fun fair in Nigeria turned tragic after a stampede led to at least 35 deaths, according to the police. Six others are critically injured. The incident occurred on Wednesday at the Islamic High School in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria, where a holiday event was organized for children.
The organizers of the event, WINGS Foundation, a non-governmental organization that supports women and girls, had promised to hand out N5,000 ($3.20) each to 5,000 children. Thousands of people, including children and their parents, had gathered at the venue before 5 am, forcing the radio station promoting the event to announce that people should stop going to the venue.
The radio station, Agidigbo FM, later released a statement saying, “The organisers of the event also did all they [could] to ensure that the tragedy was curtailed by deploying security apparatus, medical officials, and other relevant agencies to come to the aid of those affected by this tragic event.”
Governor Seyi Makinde has announced that the organizers of the event have been taken into custody and investigations are ongoing. “Earlier today, an incident occurred in Islamic High School Basorun, the venue of an event organised for families. Sadly, a stampede at the venue has led to multiple loss of lives and injuries. This is a very sad day,” Makinde said in a statement. “We sympathise with the parents whose joy has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths.”
The incident has highlighted the extent of hunger and poverty in Nigeria, with analysts and opposition politicians saying it shows the impact of the country’s unprecedented cost of living crisis. Inflation has soared to a record high, and citizens are battling the realities of a hugely eroded purchasing power.
AAC’s Olorunfemi has criticized Nigerians for failing to learn from similar tragic incidents in the past. “We need to do better as a people when it comes to strengthening our institutions so that they can work for us,” he says.
