Several students collapsed yesterday May 27 during the Children’s Day celebration at the Dr Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City , Edo state. after reportedly inhaling tear gas said to have been fired by a yet-to-be-identified security man.
The students were said to have been rushed to the Edo Specialist Hospital for medical attention.
According to reports, trouble started when some male students at the ceremony began making advances at some of the female students from another school, a development that attracted the attention of bouncers stationed at the stadium, who rebuked the male students.
The rebuked students allegedly regrouped and attacked the bouncers, leading to a confrontation within the crowded area.
A parent who witnesed the incident claimed bouncer while attempting to control the male students, fired a teargas canister in an area occupied by a large number of students, leading to some students reportedly fainting after inhaling the substance.
Following the incident, students, teachers and parents reportedly scampered for safety, leading to many students, especially females, sustaining injuries.
In a statement released last night, Edo State Government rejected the “sensational interpretations, spins, twists, and misinformation” that were, according to it, dubiously orchestrated to give the government a bad name.
The statement, signed by Dr Patrick Ebojele, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo, blamed the incident on the large turnout of students at the stadium.
