The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has mourned the death of two female students of the State-owned university in the Keffi Local Government Area of the state who died during a stampede while struggling to get palliatives in the school premises on Friday morning.
Our correspondent gathered that the state government had provided two 7.5kg bags of rice and a cash gift of N5,000 for each student at the university’s convocation square but just before the official commencement of the distribution exercise, the students stormed the venue in their numbers, carting away the palliatives which led to the death of the two female students and left 17 others injured.
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Governor Abdullahi Sule in a statement made available to newsmen in Lafia on Friday through his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Addra, expressed shock over the untimely death of the two female students.
According to the statement, the governor called for calm, while reiterating that the state government would not be distracted in continuing with the distribution of palliatives aimed at ameliorating the hardship being faced by students and the people of the state in general.
He, therefore, directed the authorities of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi and the security agencies to commence a detailed investigation leading to the cause of their death with a view to unraveling those responsible for the sad incident.
“The Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule has received with shock the news of a stampede at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, in the morning of Friday 22/03/2024.
“The sad incident is reported to have occurred when suspected hoodlums and some misguided students forced their way into the school’s convocation ground to cart away the rice kept at the venue meant for distribution as palliatives to students.
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“This misfortune happened only hours before the scheduled official flag off same morning. Engr. Sule had come up with the widely applauded initiative to distribute rice and N5,000 cash to each student in all tertiary institutions in the state.
“Such distribution was a huge success and peacefully carried out Federal University of Lafia, Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Lafia, the School of Nursing, Lafia, the College of Education, Akwanga, among others.
“Governor Sule deeply regrets the tragic death of two students of the institution in this needless stampede motivated by crime.
“The Governor has since directed the authorities of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi and security agencies to commence immediate investigation into the unfortunate occurrence with a view to unveiling those behind it.
“The State’s Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe has also visited the University on a fact finding mission. He also visited those who sustained injuries.
“Those found to be involved in anyway will be apprehended and prosecuted accordingly,” the statement read in part.