Five Nasarawa State University students die in Stampede
Five Nasarawa State University students die in Stampede
Tragedy struck Nasarawa State University in Keffi this morning as at least five students lost their lives in a stampede at the university’s convocation square. Several others are reported to be in critical condition following the incident.
According to a student who spoke to FIJ, the victims died while attempting to obtain bags of rice that the state governor had sent as palliatives to the school on Thursday. The student revealed that the palliatives were arranged in the convocation square, prompting impatient students to gather at the venue as early as 5 am.
“Many other students became aware of the distribution and assembled at the square. Despite the presence of security guards at the two entrances of the convocation square, they were unable to control the crowd,” the student told FIJ.
“As the crowd surged forward, the security guards were overwhelmed, and the gate of the convocation square was broken, leading to a stampede in which some students lost their lives.”
The student further stated, “By the time I arrived at the scene, five students had been confirmed dead, with others sustaining various injuries and some fainting. While some students managed to obtain the palliatives, others were left empty-handed. It was chaos, and the school clinic was inundated with casualties.”
Despite attempts to contact the college management for comment, FIJ was unsuccessful as their phone lines were unreachable, and they had not responded to text messages sent to the numbers listed on their website at the time of press.
Credit: Fij NG