Victims of Ibadan Stampede Crying for Justice 

Wale Igbintade writes that the Oyo State Government must thoroughly investigate the tragic death of 35 children in a recent stampede at a children’s carnival in Ibadan, and ensure those responsible are brought to justice

Just when many Nigerians thought that past tragedies during palliative distributions had taught Nigerians valuable lessons, a stampede at a children’s carnival in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, claimed the lives of at least 35 children last Wednesday. Six others remain critically injured and are receiving various medical interventions.

The children, who set out for a day of fun, tragically met their untimely end. Such a high number of deaths in a single stampede has never been recorded in any part of the country before. The tragedy plunged not only the entire city of Ibadan into mourning but the nation as well, with sympathy and condolence messages pouring in from across Nigeria.

A statement released by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade explained that the stampede occurred at a private children’s funfair at Bashorun Islamic High School. He stated that the government swiftly mobilised a rapid response team.

The former wife of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola’s foundation, Women in Need of Guidance and Support (WINGS), was confirmed as organisers of the event. The organisers, including the principal of the school, Mr. Fasasi Abdulahi, have been arrested 

Others arrested include Genesis Christopher, 24; Tanimowo Moruf, 52; Anisolaja Olabode, 42; Idowu Ibrahim, 35; and Abiola Oluwatimilehin, 25.

THISDAY gathered that the event was meant for 5,000 children but the number that turned up was reportedly over 7,500.

Unlike in previous stampedes that claimed lives, the Ibadan event was not to distribute palliatives.

For instance, a number of individuals tragically lost their lives in a stampede at the residence of Senator Aliyu Wamakko, representing Sokoto North, during the distribution of Sallah palliatives in April 2024.

Sources said as soon as news went around the city that Sallah palliatives would be distributed to people at Wamakko’s residence in the Gawon Nama area, a huge crowd surged, resulting in a stampede that killed some people and left several others injured.

Since the removal of the petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira by President Bola Tinubu’s administration upon his assumption of office on May 29, 2023, poverty has become a scourge threatening the survival of many Nigerians.

The effects of these include sporadic protests and looting of food items in many states of the federation. 

As the economic hardship continues to linger, many Nigerians who have been pushed to the wall by the skyrocketing prices of commodities, are left with no option but to throng palliative distribution centres put in place by government officials or other stakeholders.

For instance, on February 23, 2024, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) embarked on the distribution of 25kg bags of foreign parboiled rice to indigent Nigerians at its zonal headquarters at Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos. The bags of rice seized from smugglers were initially sold for N10,000, a sharp discount from its market price of N35,000.

But when the service observed that even at the discounted rate, people could not afford the bags of rice, it decided to distribute them free. This made people troop out en masse and force their way into the customs facility and those who fell in the process were trampled, while others fainted.

On March 20 in Nasarawa State, two undergraduates of the state university in Keffi died, and 17 others, mostly females, were injured while scrambling to collect 7.5-kilogramme bags of rice during food distribution by the state government.

Accompanying the 7.5-kilogramme bags of rice was the sum of N5,000 for each student. The rush to secure these food items showed the level of poverty and hardship inflicted on Nigerians by the country’s ruling political class.

In a similar tragedy, many people also died in a stampede at the annual Zakat distribution organised by the AYM Shafa Foundation in Bauchi on Friday, March 24.

The victims were mostly women and children who came out en masse to the Shafa Holdings head office located along Bauchi-Jos Road to collect N10,000 as Zakat from the foundation.

The exercise turned tragic after the crowd became uncontrollable as the scramble to get the token before it ran out became fierce. Amid the confusion, the police operatives who were stationed at the venue to provide security and control the crowd, fired tear gas canisters, causing pandemonium at the venue. In the end, some females, with ages ranging from eight to 53, were trampled to death, while others sustained injuries.

Dr. Ibrahim Disina, one of the leaders of the AYM Shafa Foundation, said the incident was an act ordained by the Almighty, not a deliberate attempt to endanger the lives of the poor. He, however, admitted that the exercise would be reviewed to forestall future similar occurrences.

In May 2022, at about 30 persons died in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, following a stampede at the venue of  ‘Shop for Free,’ a programme organised by a church, The King’s Assembly. There was a large crowd at the venue of the event, which was expected to offer free food items to attendees. The crowd pushed through the barricade in defiance of the organisers, which resulted in a stampede.

Whether it is for recreation or to distribute palliatives, many Nigerians are appalled that people are dying repeatedly from avoidable incidents like these. 

While Nigerians must embrace the values of patience and orderliness, no one should lose his life during recreation or while receiving palliatives. Future organisers of such events must learn from past tragedies and implement proper safety measures to prevent further heartbreak when distributing goodies.

Observers have advocated that organisations that wish to engage in such should collaborate with other agencies trained specifically in such things, like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and their state arms. Even private security guards, security operatives trained in crowd management and local authorities should be incorporated into the process.

It is improper to attribute organisational ineptitude to the will of God. Those whose negligence leads to avoidable deaths should be made to face the law.

What is really gratifying in the Ibadan case is that the organisers have been arrested by the police.

A resident of Bashorun who spoke to THISDAY stated that lack of logistics and poor planning caused the incident. He noted that the venue of the event was not spacious enough for the number of children that attended the carnival.

According to him, the hard economy contributed largely to the tragic incident, stressing that it was in the course of jostling for gifts and plates of food that a melee ensued which eventually claimed some children’s lives. He also called on parents and guardians to prioritise the safety of their children and wards at all times.

“Poverty contributed largely to the whole thing. That’s apart from poor planning. Thousands of children were struggling to get their share of hundreds of gifts and plates of food. The push and pull led to the commotion which caused the deaths and serious injuries reported. I don’t know the actual number of children that died,” he added.

While many including the Olu of Ibadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, have condemned the tragic and untimely deaths of the children, as well as the injuries sustained in the stampede, they have also called for a thorough investigation.

President Bola Tinubu, on his part, called for an investigation into the circustances that led to the death of the children.

There is a strong demand for the organisers, regardless of their status, to be prosecuted and, if found guilty, convicted accordingly to serve as a deterrent.

“I implore the state government to conduct a thorough investigation into the unfortunate incident and bring those responsible, no matter how highly placed, to justice. The state should establish protocols for organising and managing such events, especially when they involve the younger generation,” said one of the sympathisers who did not want her name in print.

The tragic incident in Oyo State should be a lesson to other state governments to set necessary conditions to be met before organizing events that would attract large crowd. Failure to do this will always lead to calamities.