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Palliative: Seven students feared dead in Nasarawa rice stampede

In a distressing incident, seven students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, have been reportedly killed in a stampede while struggling for rice meant to be distributed as palliative by the state government.

According to reports, the students allegedly broke into the warehouse forcefully after overpowering the security attached to the institution at about 5am, to scramble for the food items kept to be distributed on Friday morning.

It was gathered that some students listed to benefit from the Nasarawa state government palliative were issued I.D cards to admit them into the venue where the distribution was to take place.

Eagle Online learnt that the convocation square was the venue for the distribution of palliatives to the students by the Nasarawa State government.

Confirming the incident, the National President of the Nasarawa State Students Association, Yunusa Baduku, disclosed that most of the students involved in the stampede had been rushed to hospitals in the area for medical attention.

He said, “Seriously, what happened this morning at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, is uncalled for, and very pathetic.

“After our arrangement for the distribution of palliatives to the students which was to hold at the University’s convocation square, they (students) suddenly arrived at the venue in their numbers and overpowered the security.

“They broke through the gate into the Convocation square where the bags of rice was to be shared.

“Unfortunately, most of our female students sustained several degrees of injuries, while others got suffocated because of the population at the venue for the distribution of the palliatives.

“Right now, I am at the Federal Medical Centre Keffi, where we brought some of our students for emergency treatment.

“Also, as National President of NASA, I got an official report that one student has died as a result of the unfortunate incident.

“For the numbers of those injured, I cannot confirm that at the moment because some of them are at the school’s clinic while others are here at the FMC, Keffi receiving treatment.”

Baduku, however, commended the university’s management, student leaders and representatives of the state government for their prompt action saying, “They are all doing their best to address the situation, and to ensure that normalcy returns to the school environment.”

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