•Stampede
In this interview, a female survivor who went to the children funfair at the Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, where more than 35 children died, shares her experience at the scene with Saturday PUNCH.
Excerpts:
Tell us about yourself
My name is Laide. I am a 30-year-old hairstylist and a mother of a three-year-old kid. We got to the venue of the funfair a few minutes to 6am. Before we got to the venue, a large crowd had already gathered. The entrance to Islamic High School Basorun, the venue of the funfair, was already jam-packed with people numbering over 10,000. The crowd was quite thick to the extent that it was almost becoming difficult to breathe. I had my three-year-old child strapped to my back, and she was getting suffocated by the intense heat.
How did the stampede occur?
After standing a long while in front of the entrance, Mr Oriyomi Hamzat, one of the organisers of the event, drove to the scene. Soon after, the gate was flung open and the mammoth crowd surged. Then a stampede ensued. That was the last I could remember.
My baby fell off my hands to the ground while countless humans of different shapes and sizes trampled upon her. I couldn’t find her amidst the thick crowd but I heard her crying, though her voice was barely audible. While still on the ground and unable to move my body, I struggled under the weight of several people who had fallen on me and marching my head. I mustered every strength to push off those who were trying to squeeze the life out of my baby. And by divine luck, an adult that was also in the stampede, heard my baby crying, and determinedly pushed off other victims in the stampede who were struggling to free themselves from the stampede. That was what led to the mass deaths.
What was the motivation for the funfair?
I never had the intention of going to the funfair. But my neighbours persuaded me to go with them. They said Oriyomi Hamzat had rolled out jingles promising many enticing gifts for children ranging from scholarships, parcels of land, houses and several others. The crowd was made up of people from Ile-Ife, Osogbo, Ogbomoso and Lagos.
What is the current state of your child?
My child is receiving treatment at this hospital, Adeoyo State Specialist Hospital. But I regret going to that funfair. I will not try such a thing again.
