Dozens of students were reportedly hospitalised on Wednesday after chaos erupted during the Children’s Day celebration organised by the Edo State Government at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
The chaos has raised fresh questions about crowd control and safety planning despite the government’s multi-billion-naira budget for state celebrations.
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The incident occurred during the event organised by the Edo State Ministry of Education after some students allegedly clashed with bouncers stationed at the stadium, leading to the deployment of tear gas in an area crowded with schoolchildren.
Videos circulated online showed several students rushed to Edo Specialist Hospital in a van and buses, some lying on bare floors at the hospital, receiving oxygen and emergency treatment. Some students were seen crying, while others appeared unconscious.
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The development has sparked concerns about the government’s preparedness for mass gatherings involving children, particularly as the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo budgeted N9.98 billion in the 2026 fiscal year for “special days/celebrations,” including Children’s Day activities.
A review of Edo State budget documents by PREMIUM TIMES also showed that between January and September 2025, the state government spent N4.99 billion out of the N7.77 billion budgeted for special days and celebrations.
How the chaos started
Joseph Benin, a Benin City-based journalist, told PREMIUM TIMES that the disturbance began after some male students of Ihogbe College allegedly made inappropriate advances towards female students at the venue.
According to him, bouncers engaged for crowd control duties confronted the students.
“Students from Ihogbe College are known to often foment trouble,” Mr Benin said.
He added that after being rebuked, the students allegedly regrouped and confronted the bouncers, leading to tension inside the packed stadium.
Mr Benin said witnesses informed him that crowd control personnel later deployed tear gas in the midst of the students.
The confrontation by the students against the crowd control bouncers engaged by the state government, it was gathered, made them deploy tear gas against the students who confronted them. However, this happened in an area occupied by a large number of students.
The use of the substance reportedly triggered panic across the stadium as students, teachers and parents scrambled for safety.
Several students, especially girls, reportedly fainted after inhaling the substance, while others sustained injuries during the ensuing stampede.
Students rushed to hospital
Many affected students were taken to the Edo Specialist Hospital for treatment.
In a video shared online by Benin Blogger and reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES, at least six students were seen lying on the floor while receiving medical attention. Oxygen cylinders were also seen being deployed to administer oxygen on some of the students.
A boy was also seen seated while receiving oxygen support.
The exact number of affected students could not immediately be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.
Government reacts
Reacting to the incident, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo, Patrick Ebojele, accused social media users of spreading misinformation about the incident.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Mr Ebojele said the stadium was filled beyond expectation because of the government’s investment in education.
“The turnout was unprecedented,” he said.
According to him, “some excited children resorted to unruly behaviour at one of the gates,” leading to a stampede.
He confirmed that a bouncer deployed tear gas to disperse the students.
“In the course of the pandemonium that ensued, few students sustained injuries,” the statement said.
The spokesperson added that the Deputy Governor of Edo, Dennis Idahosa, personally assisted affected students with first aid before those requiring further care were moved to hospital.
The government also said the bouncer involved was being interrogated by the police and that investigations had commenced.
Questions unanswered
Following the incident, PREMIUM TIMES sent a detailed media enquiry to the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, seeking clarification on the safety measures put in place for the event.
The newspaper specifically asked what crowd management plans were implemented considering the state’s N9.98 billion budget for celebrations, why crowd control personnel were permitted to deploy tear gas in a densely occupied arena, and what training or certification the personnel possessed.
PREMIUM TIMES also asked whether the Ministry of Public Safety and Security supervised security arrangements for the event, how many students were affected, whether emergency medical and evacuation plans were in place, and whether the government would review safety protocols for future school gatherings.
Other questions focused on whether parents and schools of affected students had been contacted and whether compensation or counselling support would be provided.
In response, Mr Afegbua forwarded the government’s earlier press statement.
When PREMIUM TIMES pointed out that the statement did not address the specific questions raised, the commissioner replied: “That is the official statement from government. You can go and do further enquiry as a media man. Thanks.”
The commissioner did not answer further calls from our report.
READ ALSO: Children’s Day: Oluremi Tinubu urges children to shun destructive paths, embrace responsibility
Budget scrutiny
The incident has also drawn attention to the state’s spending priorities and preparedness for public events.
Edo State has a Ministry of Public Safety and Security, which is expected to oversee aspects of public safety, including crowd management operations.
However, a review of the ministry’s 2026 capital budget by PREMIUM TIMES showed no specific allocation for training crowd control personnel, despite the ministry having a total budget of N914.5 million for the year.
The absence of a visible training provision has raised concerns about the competence and preparedness of personnel deployed to manage large gatherings involving children.
As of Thursday morning, the Edo State Government had yet to disclose the total number of injured students or indicate whether the findings of its promised investigation would be made public.
