Police investigate Ekiti hotel stampede

The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti, Mr Falade Adegoroye, has ordered investigation into the death of three persons following a stampede at a hotel in Ikere-Ekiti.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Sunday Abutu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Ado-Ekiti.

Abutu said the incident occurred at about 1:00 a.m. on April 19 at Emirate Hotel, Ikere-Ekiti.

He explained that the victims were a staff member of the hotel and two students of Bamidele Olumiluwa University of Education, Science and Technology (BOUESTI), Ikere-Ekiti.

He said that preliminary investigations revealed that the students had gone to the hotel to celebrate after their convocation ceremony held on April 18.

“During the party, which extended into the early hours of the following day, two yet-to-be-identified students engaged in an argument that escalated into a fight.

“Other attendees attempted to flee the premises, resulting in a stampede that claimed the lives of the victims,” he said.

The PPRO added that the bodies of the deceased had been deposited in a morgue for autopsy.

He said the commissioner of police sympathised with the families of the victims over the tragic incident.

Abutu urged members of the public to remain calm, assuring that the command would leave no stone unturned in uncovering the circumstances surrounding the incident.