The Oyo State Police Command has announced ongoing investigations into the tragic stampede at a children’s funfair held in Ibadan on Wednesday.
Naijaonpoint reports that the incident, which occurred at the Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, resulted in the death of at least 35 children, with six others sustaining critical injuries and currently receiving medical treatment.
The probe follows a directive from President Bola Tinubu, who ordered a thorough investigation into the causes of the stampede.
Speaking on Channels Television’s programme, The Morning Brief, on Friday, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, shed light on the initial findings of the investigation.
According to Osifeso, preliminary evidence suggests that poor crowd management may have played a significant role in the tragedy.
He explained that the system for entry into the fair might have contributed to the chaos. Initially, attendees were required to pay a token fee to gain entry.
However, at some point, the fees were reduced, and later, entry was reportedly granted for free. This shift, Osifeso suggested, may have led to agitation and confusion among the crowd.
“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 highlighted that the overwhelming number of attendees far exceeded the expected capacity for the venue, further exacerbating the situation.
“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,” Osifeso stated.
In the aftermath of the incident, the police confirmed the arrest of seven suspects believed to have played a role in the stampede.
Among those in custody are Naomi Silekunola, a former queen of the Ooni of Ife, and the Principal of Islamic High School, Ibadan, Fasasi Abdulahi.
The police have not disclosed the specific roles of the suspects but have assured the public that the investigation will be transparent and thorough.