Two Nasarawa University Students Die, Others Injured in Stampede

By Chris Nyamtu

Two students of the Nasarawa State University Keffi have been confirmed dead with 17 injured following a stampede in the process of sharing food palliatives at the institution in Keffi.

Head of Clinical Medical Services Federal Medical Centre Keffi Dr. Ahmed Kana stated this during a telephone interview with Radio Nigeria.

He explained that the students who suffered various degrees of injuries were receiving medical attention at the facility.

According to Dr. Kana, the two students that died in the stampede were both female while out of the 17 who were wounded only one was a male.

In an interview one of the students Stephen Innocent, a 300-level Mass Communication alleged that the stampede was as a result of poor organization of the distribution of the food palliative which led to the students lost patience and broke into where the 7.5 kilogram bags of rice were arranged at the convocation square of the university having waited for a long time.

The state Deputy Governor Dr. Emmanuel Akabe has visited the school to curtail any escalation of the situation while Governor Abdullahi Sule in a swift statement has directed an immediate investigation of what led the stampede.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarwa State had commenced distribution of 7.5 kilogramme bags of rice to students of tertiary institutions in the state as part of steps toward responding to high prices of food items in the country as a result of the fuel subsidy removal .

Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi- Professor Suleiman Bala has expressed shock over the tragic stampede incident that claimed the lives of two students and left several others injured during the distribution of food palliative at the school.

Addressing newsmen in Keffi, Professor Bala described the incident which led to the loss of lives of students as a traumatic moment in the history of the university.

He noted that the state government had provided food palliatives as well as monetary assistance to over four thousand students of the university but the distribution process was marred by impatience which had resulted in the stampede.

The Vice Chancellor while sympathizing with the families of the deceased students called for calm within the university community.