Three persons said to be students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, have reportedly lost their lives while trying to get their share of rice palliatives being distributed by the state government. The incident which took place on Friday, March 22, 2024 also left scores of others injured.The latest death adds to the number of Nigerians who have died jostling for government palliatives. Last month, five Nigerians died in Lagos while on queue to receive 25 kilogramme bag of rice from the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos.
At the Nasarawa State University in Keffi, the students who gathered at the convocation square to receive palliatives from the state government, got trampled upon due to the massive crowd at the venue. Two students got killed while several others were injured.
Source newspaper quoting a source, said: “What we are hearing now is that two female students have died. They were said to have been suffocated because of the crowd and they were later declared dead by the healthcare workers.”
The newspaper also quoted the National President of the Nasarawa State Students Association, Yunusa Baduku, saying 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.”
The State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, had recently distributed two 7.5 kg bags of rice and N5,000 to each student of the Federal University of Lafia, Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, and the College of Education, Akwanga.
