An unspecified number of children died on Wednesday morning at the Islamic High School in Basorun, Ibadan, Oyo State, after a stampede during a children’s Christmas party hosted by Queen Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi, an ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife.
Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo, confirmed multiple lives were lost in an afternoon statement.
“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 for us here in Oyo State,” Makinde wrote on X.
“We sympathise with the parents whose joy has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths. We have taken steps to ensure no further deaths are recorded at this venue by deploying security agents to restore order at the venue. We also deployed medical personnel and ambulances to the venue. The event has been stopped, and attendees have been escorted out of the venue. We are taking all realistic measures to ensure that the venue is secured.
“While investigations are ongoing, the primary organisers of the event that led to this stampede have been taken into custody. I want to reassure our people that anyone directly or remotely involved in this disaster will be held accountable.”
X users who commented about the incident blamed the deaths of the children on parents who, they said, took their wards to an overcrowded party for gifts. In a now-deleted post by an X user, she said that many children lost their lives due to gifts.
The user said, “They organised a Christmas party for children, and they said they would be going home with freebies. Our people went there since yesterday to sleep over, and they are stepping on each other till so many people lost their lives.”
A Facebook user who was advising Ibadan residents not to take their children to the event said that four kids had died and were being taken to the University College Hospital in Ibadan.
Although many social media users have accused Agidigbo FM, an Ibadan-based radio station, of involvement in this unfortunate event, the radio station was not the host of the children’s programme.
A staff member at Agidigbo FM told FIJ that Queen Naomi organised the event which targeted 5,000 children, while the radio station only announced it.
“She came to Agidigbo to announce that the event would be held at Islamic High School, Basorun. She came for a jingle placement. What we noticed was the stampede. Now the event has been cancelled,” the staff said on Wednesday.
An unofficial source revealed that over 30 children lost their lives, with many others injured during the incident.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, confirmed that the stampede occurred at a private children’s funfair at Basorun Islamic High School.
Oyelade stated that the government swiftly mobilised a rapid response team following the breaking of the incident.
The commissioner noted that victims had been swiftly transported to various hospitals within the Ibadan metropolis for medical attention.
While appreciating the Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, for immediately activating all available response teams to assist at the scene, Oyelade said, “The state government will do all it can to support the victims of this tragic incident during this difficult period.
“The government was not involved in any planning, nor was the Ministry of Health asked to provide logistics for the private children’s end-of-year funfair.”
Oyelade, however, emphasised the importance of proper coordination when organising events of such magnitude, particularly those involving children and the elderly.
The commissioner indicated that they were awaiting a detailed report from the Commissioner of Police to clarify the total number of victims involved in this unfortunate incident.
“Parents who are concerned about the whereabouts of their children are urged to check the following medical facilities in Ibadan, where affected children have been taken for proper medical care, with valid means of identification:
Patnas Hospital, Basorun; Western Hospital, Basorun; Ringroad State Hospital; Molly Specialist Hospital; and the University College Hospital, Ibadan.”
