A stampede that occurred at the university’s convocation square on Friday morning allegedly resulted to the deaths of no fewer than two female students at Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

Palliatives were being distributed to students by the Nasarawa State government at the convocation square.

According to a university source who spoke with reporters on ground, the stampede claimed the lives of two female students and left others seriously injured.

“What we are hearing now is that two female students have died. They were said to have been suffocated because of the crowd and they were later declared dead by the healthcare workers,” the source said.

The majority of the students involved in the stampede were taken to nearby hospitals for medical assistance, according to Yunusa Baduku, the national president of the Nasarawa State Students Association, who confirmed the incident to newsmen.

He said, “Seriously, what happened this morning at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, is uncalled for, and very pathetic.

“After our arrangement for the distribution of palliatives to the students which was to hold at the University’s convocation square, they (students) suddenly arrived at the venue in their numbers and overpowered the security.

“They broke through the gate into the Convocation square where the bags of rice was to be shared.

“Unfortunately, most of our female students sustained several degrees of injuries, while others got suffocated because of the population at the venue for the distribution of the palliatives.

“Right now, I am at the Federal Medical Centrw Keffi, where we brought some of our students for emergency treatment.

“Also, as National President of NASA, I got an official report that one student has died as a result of the unfortunate incident.

“For the numbers of those injured, I cannot confirm that at the moment because some of them are at the school’s clinic while others are here at the FMC, Keffi receiving treatment.”

On the other hand, Baduku complimented the university administration, student leaders, and state government representatives for their swift response in helping the students receive medical attention.

“I want to commend the school management, the student leaders and even the state government for standing by us at a time like this. They are all doing their best to address the situation, and to ensure that normalcy returns to the school environment,” he said.

Abdullahi Sule, the state governor, recently gave each student at the Federal University of Lafia, Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, and the College of Education, Akwanga, two 7.5 kg bags of rice and N5,000.