CRPP Blasts Edo Govt Over Children’s Day Stampede, Demands Okpebholo’s Apology


By Elvis Omoregie, Benin

The Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) has launched a scathing attack on the Edo State Government over the chaos that disrupted the Children’s Day celebration at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, demanding an apology from Governor Monday Okpebholo to affected students and their families.

The coalition described the incident, which reportedly left over 50 students injured during a stampede, as an “avoidable tragedy” caused by poor security coordination and weak crowd-control measures by the state government.

In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Dr. Samson Isibor, CRPP accused the Okpebholo administration of failing to guarantee the safety of school children at a major state-organised event.

According to the group, reports indicated that some male students from a government secondary school allegedly invaded the venue and attempted to harass female students, triggering panic and confusion among participants.

CRPP further alleged that the situation worsened after bouncers and security personnel reportedly deployed pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the crowd, resulting in widespread pandemonium.

“Sadly, over 50 students, mostly female, were seriously injured and collapsed during the pandemonium, while unconfirmed reports indicated that two students lost their lives,” the statement said.

The coalition said videos and photographs from the incident circulating on social media contradicted official attempts to downplay the severity of the situation.

CRPP argued that the incident had exposed serious security lapses within the state and questioned the government’s repeated claims of successfully tackling cultism.

“The successful invasion of the stadium by suspected cultists has exposed the weakness of the government’s claims that cultism has been effectively tackled in Edo State,” the statement added.

The coalition also faulted the alleged engagement of private bouncers for crowd management at an event involving thousands of students, insisting that only properly trained security personnel should have handled such responsibility.

It further criticised the alleged use of tear gas and pepper spray by security operatives, maintaining that the action contributed to the panic that triggered the stampede.

“This tragedy has exposed the lack of preparedness and weak crowd-management mechanisms of the present administration, particularly in protecting children and vulnerable participants during public events,” CRPP stated.

The opposition coalition demanded an unreserved apology from Governor Okpebholo and called on the Edo State Government to take full responsibility for the treatment of injured victims.

It also urged the government to provide adequate compensation to affected families over the incident.

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