A stampede has occurred at the Convention grounds of the Ruling All Progressives Congress, APC as members of the Party’s organising committee for the national convention failed to control a huge crowd at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
The convention scheduled to hold on Saturday has witnessed the presence of thousands of party faithful from all over the country. Security agents had to resort to suing Teargas and Tasers to restore order.
Eyewitness reports reveal that no fewer than 26 people including a pregnant woman and an elderly man were injured.
Delegates had besieged the venue waiting for clearance when suddenly people broke free from the security, who were forced to retreat. The security agents drawn from men of the Department of State Security, the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Army and the civil defence regrouped and chased after the crowd with police dogs.
But as people began to besiege the gate waiting for clearance and complaining that they had spent over two hours on the queue, their patience waned and by 10:45am, scuffle and jostling began. The crowd became uncontrollable and as they wrestled to gain entry, people started falling over one another, while the policemen used teargas and beat people with their baton.
An elderly man of over 70 had his leg broken while a pregnant woman could be seen writhing in pains but was helped to her feet and taken away for medical attention.
Photos below;
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.
Leave a Reply