One Dead, Several Injured in Stampede at Cross River First Lady’s Empowerment Programme

A woman has died while several others sustained critical injuries following a stampede at an empowerment programme organised by the wife of Cross River State Governor, Mrs Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, in Ogoja on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Mary Christiana Oga, from Imaje in Yala Local Government Area of the state. The incident reportedly occurred as residents scrambled to collect food items and other empowerment materials distributed at the event.

Following the stampede, the victims were rushed to the General Hospital in Ogoja for medical attention. However, doctors later confirmed Oga dead, while several other victims remained under treatment as of Thursday night.

Eyewitnesses said the crowd continued to grow as residents struggled to access the distributed items, eventually triggering the deadly stampede.

The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the incident and said it had begun reviewing the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, identified the deceased and confirmed that security personnel responded during the incident.

“The command is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the event. The deceased has been identified as Mary Christiana Oga of Imaje, Yala Local Government Area. She was pronounced dead at the General Hospital, Ogoja,” Akata said.

He further stressed the need for proper crowd management, adequate safety measures and effective coordination during public gatherings to prevent similar incidents.

Meanwhile, officials of the Cross River State First Lady’s office had yet to respond to inquiries about the incident as of the time of filing this report.