‘Don’t Politicize It’ – Gov Sule Replies Falana Over Death Of Nasarawa University Students
The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has rejected claims that negligence on the part of the state government led to the death of two students of the Nasarawa State University during a palliative distribution stampede in the school.
The Governor also urged popular lawyer, Femi Falana, who made the claim, to avoid politicizing such an unfortunate incident.
lawblogng recalls that two students died during a stampede which happened at a palliative distribution exercise organized by the state government in the Nasarawa State University last Friday.
Falana, in his reaction, attributed the tragic deaths of the two students to “official negligence,” demanding an immediate investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident.
He also highlighted the need for accountability and compensation for the families of the victims, Grace Danladi and Rose Micheal, who lost their lives in the chaos.
But Governor Sule has refuted claims of negligence on the part of the state government regarding the incident.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, the Nasarawa State Governor said the stampede was not because of improper planning but because some students thought that their names were being replaced by the Students’ Union Government of the institution, hence the anxiety.
He noted that the exercise had been to eight places before the state university and were all successful.
“It’s very unfortunate that it happened but it had nothing to do with any planning, it has nothing to do with any negligence. We have been to eight places.
“It was the last place, which would have been the ninth institution that we went. So, all these other places that we went, everything went so smooth,” the Governor said.
He added that, “We are very sad that two students died. We are talking with the families. So, for somebody to politicise it? It’s unfortunate that we are in a country where everybody looks at a tragedy and politicise it.
“During the process, they (students)overpowered the security and God was so kind, the security did not open fire on anybody. So, it’s not like anybody was shot.
“It was during the stampede that happened, maybe, these two students fell and other students marched on them. So, who are you going to look for compensation from? The students or the management of the university.”
Governor Sule promised to assist the families of students who lost their lives, adding that his deputy and commissioners had paid condolence visits to the families of the two deceased students.
He said, “We are going to support the family with some form of assistance but I am not going to use the word ‘compensation’ because it’s not something that happened on the part of negligence by the government.”
