By Kelvin Ololo
At least one person has been confirmed dead and many injured following a stampede at an empowerment program in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State.
State Police Command confirmed that one woman died after a stampede at the program attended by the wife of the Cross River State Governor and her entourage.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday as the crowd grew, with attendees struggling to gather empowerment items.
According to the Police, two women were rescued and taken to the General Hospital, Ogoja, for medical attention, but one of them was subsequently pronounced dead by a medical doctor.
The deceased identified as Mary Christiana Oga, hails from Imaje in Yala Local Government Area, while the second woman remained under medical care as of the time of the police statement.
The Command said security personnel responded to control the crowd and restore order, adding that it was reviewing the circumstances surrounding the stampede, the sequence of events and the crowd-control response.
Police said preliminary information indicates that the victims sustained their injuries before police personnel deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd and restore order.
The circumstances do not, at this stage, establish that police action caused the casualties.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, expressed condolences to the deceased woman’s family and wished the surviving victim a speedy recovery, stressing the importance of adequate safety arrangements, proper crowd management and effective coordination at public gatherings.
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