A day after President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation into the stampede at a children’s funfair in Ibadan, the Oyo State police confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
The tragic incident, which occurred at Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, Ibadan, resulted in the deaths of at least 35 minors, with six others critically injured and currently receiving medical treatment.
In an appearance on Channels Television’s breakfast program, The Morning Brief, on Friday, Oyo police spokesperson Adewale Osefiso stated that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the stampede.
He suggested that initial findings may point to poor crowd control as a potential factor in the tragedy.
“Investigations are in progress, but from the preliminary findings, it was discovered that at some point the fair, they were supposed to go in with a token, at some point the prices were slashed and later, some had the opportunity of going in free. So, at some point, something must have gone wrong as regards some sort of agitation,” Osefiso said.
He added, “In this case, when it comes to crowd control anything could have triggered it; it could be excitement, it could be fear, it could be panic and judging by the space, which at the end of the day we discovered that the crowd that got into that place which was not the originally planned number, could have also contributed to the stampede because those going in actually did most of the damage to those already in.”
According to the police spokesperson, the number of children that attended the funfair exceeded the expected number.
“The projected capacity of crowd that they expected exceeded, and a stampede ensued. As a matter of fact, the programmed had not even started properly when the when the process started.
“Sadly, we recorded as a Command 35 minors dying and of course 6 being critically injured and presently responding to various medical interventions,” Osefiso said.
The incident drew condemnation from many, including the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who vowed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Makinde also said the state government would arrest those responsible for the incident and commiserated with parents whose children in the stampede.
Tinubu mourns, orders probe
In a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu extended his condolences to the government and people of Oyo State and, most importantly, to the grieving families who have lost their children in the unfortunate event.
“President Tinubu has urgently directed the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances of this tragedy thoroughly,” the statement read in part.
Tinubu emphasized the importance of determining whether negligence or intentional actions were involved in this tragic incident, stressing the need for a transparent and accountable investigation.
He also urged the Oyo State Government to take all necessary steps to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future.
Earlier, the police revealed that seven suspects had been arrested in connection with the disaster.
Osifeso confirmed that among those in police custody are Naomi Silekunola, the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife; Fasasi Abdulahi, the Principal of Islamic High School, Ibadan; and six others.