The police in Cross River State have confirmed the death of a woman following a stampede at an empowerment programme organised by the wife of the state governor, Mrs Eyoanwan Otu, in Ogoja on Thursday
The command’s spokesman, ASP Sunday Eitokpah made this known in a statement issued on Friday in Calabar
According to him, two women were rescued and taken to the General Hospital, Ogoja for medical attention, but one of them, identified as Mary Oga from Imaje in Yala Local Government Area, was later pronounced dead
Eitokpah stated that the incident occurred at 3:30pm during the programme, attended by the governor’s wife and her entourage
He said that in a bid to collect the available items, the crowd reportedly grew, resulting in the stamped, adding that the police and other security personnel responded to restore order
He said the command was reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the sequence of events and crowd-control response
Eitokpah said Commissioner of Police Ajo Ordue commiserated with the family of the deceased and wished the surviving victim speedy recovery (NAN)