The incident happened while football fans were trying to enter the stadium during the World Cup qualifier against Zambia.
The fans were allegedly beaten by soldiers at the gates of the stadium with heavy sticks.
According to Punch, the stampede occurred as the crowd tried to avoid the soldiers’ sticks.
The
newspaper reports that bloodstains were around the gate of the stadium,
while policemen and personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps were
seen standing beside some unconscious fans.
Some of the fans claimed they escaped death by the whiskers.
A
female fan, Aniema Ekong, said, “I thank God that I’m alive. This is
not the first time this kind of incident had occurred. In fact, in every
major tournament, there is always a tale of woes to tell about security
agents injuring or killing people.”
Another fan who identified
himself as Chukwudi, said his girlfriend was severely injured by the
security personnel manning the gate.
He said, “I don’t know why there is always trouble in this stadium.”
Ambulances were seen conveying injured persons to the hospital.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Elkana Bala, however, claimed that no one died.
He
told the newspaper, “It is confirmed that nobody died. But some persons
were injured while struggling to gain access into the stadium. The
injured persons were taken to hospital for medical attention.”