UNICAL Stampede: VC Banku Denies Death Claim of 2 Students

By Efa Sunday 

University of Calabar Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Banku Obi has denied the allegation of two dead students that was aid to have occurred following the stampede of Tuesday February 25, 2025 within the University premises.

Recall that an uproar had occured in UNICAL involving students scheduled to write examination in the Chemistry Department. However, in a counter narrative, the VC speaking with CivicNewsNg via the telephone claimed that no student's life was lost in the stampede.

Asked if she was aware of the incident, Prof. Obi responded; "Sure I am aware of the incident. It was indeed a sad development to be sincere though it was such an avoidable incident. However, what we can confirm is that contrary to those claims in the news that two students died in that stampede, it is a false report and in fact no single life was lost in that incident. 

"CHM 101 in the department of Chemistry is a general course for most science students. Those who were supposed to write in the morning didn't make it for their exams and as at afternoon when they arrived, they started struggling the exam centre with those scheduled for afternoon. In the midst of that chaos, some students sustained varying degrees of injuries, with many being minor injuries and as I speak with you, most of them taken to he medical center have already been discharged. No one lost his or her life as claimed in those reports "

Meanwhile, in a report published by luminenews.com, the Head of Department, Pure and Applied Chemistry, Prof. Grace Iniama was quoted to have said that "the course is taken by 49 departments and more than 7,000 students."

According to he said report, "everything was going smoothly until it started raining. The examination was scheduled for 8:00am to 6:00Pm. The students who were already writing were unable to come out of the hall and those outside started struggling to enter the hall without following the time they were scheduled for the exam”.

“This was the reason we employed CBT method which affords students a seamless opportunity to enter the examination hall and write at their scheduled time and leave, but the students became unruly and beyond the control of the officials on ground to handle. Some of them eventually sustained bruises because of the continued pushed and fall, but I thank God for the timely arrival of the university ambulance which conveyed them immediately to the medical facilities”, she added.