One person has died in a stampede at the Gusau residence of the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, while six others were seriously injured, multiple security sources told SaharaReporters on Friday.
The incident occurred at about 7:30pm on Thursday when a large crowd surged toward the minister’s residence in anticipation of his arrival, triggering panic and chaos that led to the deadly stampede.
Security analyst, Zagazola Makama, confirmed that the victims were immediately rushed to Farida General Hospital. Twenty-three-year-old Khalifa Uzairu, however, was pronounced dead on arrival.
Those injured were identified as Ayuba Sani, Muhammadu Adams, Aliyu Aminu, Shaaban Hamisu, and Inusa Musa Shehu. Hospital officials said the survivors are responding to treatment and are currently in stable condition.
Security operatives have since cordoned off the area to forestall further disorder, while authorities have launched an investigation to uncover the immediate and remote causes of the stampede, including whether negligence or poor crowd control played a role.
Meanwhe, authorities have urged the public to exercise caution and cooperate with security measures to prevent further incidents during official events.
However, the Minister of Defence has not publicly commented on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
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