Nigeria: Oyo Govt Arrests Organisers of Children Carnival Over Stampede

Organisers of the Wednesday carnival leading to the death of yet-to-be-confirmed children have been arrested by the Nigeria Police.

Unconfirmed number of children lost their lives on Wednesday at a carnival organised in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victims, mostly children were caught up in a stampede following the huge crowd that turned out for the carnival organised for children at Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan.

Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde confirmed the arrest in a statement reacting to the disaster, in Wednesday.

"While investigations are ongoing, the primary organisers of the event that led to this stampede have been taken into custody," Makinde said.

The Governor described the incident as "a very sad day for us here in Oyo State," sympathising 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," the Governor said.

He further stressed that medical personnel and ambulances were deployed to the venue, adding that, "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."

He reassured the people that anyone directly or remotely involved in the disaster will be held accountable.

"Please remain calm as the security agencies investigate this unfortunate incident," Makinde said.

The original article was published on the Leadership.