Stampede At UNIBEN’s Post-UTME Screening

One Feared Dead, Scores Injured In Stampede At UNIBEN’s Post-UTME Screening

Dozens of youths seeking admission into the University of Benin (UNIBEN) sustained injuries on Wednesday during a stampede at the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) screening of the university.
One of the victims is also believed to have died.

One of the prospective students told SaharaReporters anonymously that the stampede occurred because the admission-seekers were scrambling to enter the gates of the Akin Deko Auditorium, the venue of the screening, and the institution’s security officers attempted to control the situation by forcefully closing the gates.
As a result, tens of students found themselves sprawling on the ground while others who were retreating inevitably marched over them.
“As anyone would expect when you have a crowd, the applicants were trying to enter into the hall ahead of one another”, he said.
“But the security men did not allow them. The students were eager to enter, so they tried to force their way in. By the time the security men closed the gates, they were falling over one another. Only one person died but so many were injured”.
Only a little over two weeks ago, at least 23 people died while many more sustained varying degrees of injury during a stampede at the National Stadium, Abuja and other venues across the country as well, during nationwide recruitment tests conducted by the Nigeria Immigrations Service (NIS).
The development led to widespread calls for the sack of Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, who initially blamed the deaths on the impatience of the applicants, but subsequently recanted himself and assumed full responsibility for the shoddy management of the exercise.