TRAGIC EVENT

Stampede Kills Dozens of Kids After They Were Promised $3.20 Each

Six others were critically injured at a Christmas carnival, according to police.

At least 35 children were killed and six others critically injured when a stampede broke out at a Christmas fair on Wednesday in southwest Nigeria. What was supposed to be a fun occasion turned tragic after thousands of children and their parents showed for a chance to receive N5,000 (around $3.20) promised to the first 5,000 kids by the event’s organizers. According to the Africa Report, a local radio station urged more people not to attend the event out of safety concerns. “The organizers of the event also did all they [could] to ensure that the tragedy was curtailed by deploying security apparatus, medical officials, and other relevant agencies to come to the aid of those affected by this tragic event,” the radio station said in a statement. State governor Seyi Makinde added in a statement that the event’s organizers were arrested on the scene when security forces arrived. “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 on X. One parent added, “I shouldn’t have come. My child is dead.”