News started filtering in that the distribution will now be done on slots at the departmental and faculty levels and attention would be given to some tribal association
A 400-level Mass Communication student of the Nasarawa State University Keffi who spoke on condition of anonymity has blamed the Friday stampede on the government’s failure to put appropriate machinery in place ahead of the distribution of the palliative.
Recall that the stampede claimed lives of two students while some were injured in an attempt to take rice meant to be distributed as palliative by the state government.
According to him, “We were told that rice and money would be shared on Friday; so about 4:00am, students had already gathered at the convocation square.
“News started filtering in that the distribution will now be done on slots at the departmental and faculty levels and attention would be given to some tribal association. That was how students were triggered and they started forcing their way into the convocation square where the rice was kept. The security operatives could not control them any more and then the incident happened.
“The arrangements and modalities put in place to share the palliative were not in order and that was why we experienced what happened,” the student said.
A community leader in Keffi, Audu Bala described the painful death of some students of the institution as unfortunate and avoidable.
“I expected our government to understand much better. People are really hungry and angry. You keep food before an angry man or woman and then you are telling him stories.
“Nobody should blame the actions of the students except if you have not been hungry before. What happened at NSUK yesterday should be a lesson and warning to our leaders.