Holiday fair turns tragic as several children killed in stampede in Nigeria, state governor says
PBS NewsHour3 days
Dozens Dead After Nigerian Christmas Funfair Stampede
Above: A general view of the city of Ibadan, also called The Brown Roof city, in southwestern Nigeria, on Nov. 20, 2024. Image copyright: Olympia de Maismont/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
A stampede at the Bashorun Islamic High School in Ibadan, Nigeria, resulted in the deaths of an estimated dozens of children and left many injured during a Christmas funfair on Wednesday.
The event, organized by Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio, had promised to distribute 5K naira (US$3) and food to each of the 5K expected attendees, drawing over 10K people to the venue.
The Spin
Narrative A
Nigeria's ongoing stampede issues stem from deep poverty and inadequate event management. High poverty levels drive desperate crowds to these charity events, like Wednesday's funfair and the "Shop for Free" church program in 2022, where the promise of aid leads to deadly rushes. The government must tackle the underlying economic issues and learn from past crowd control debacles.
Narrative B
While these deaths are tragic and never should've occurred, the government will conduct a thorough investigation. Police forces have also been conducting crowd management workshops since 2023, particularly related to preventing excessive force, aiming for global standards in policing. Police are also receiving more officers and better tools to ensure all future public gatherings are monitored appropriately.
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