Children’s Day: No Casualty Recorded In Ogbemudia Stadium Incident — CMD

The Chief Medical Director of Edo Specialist Hospital, Dr. Anthonia Njoku, has debunked social media reports alleging that five pupils died during the Children’s Day celebration at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, insisting that no fatalities were recorded from the incident.

Njoku made the clarification on Thursday while addressing journalists in Benin City, saying the hospital’s emergency team responded swiftly after several pupils were evacuated from the stadium.

“Yesterday, we were called in for an emergency response and we responded swiftly and appropriately to some of the children who were evacuated by our ambulance to our facility,” she said.

She explained that resuscitation efforts began immediately upon arrival, adding that all the children were stabilised.

“Resuscitation measures started immediately and to God be the glory, we have no casualty, the children are all stable and we want to thank our governor for his continuous support,” she added.

Addressing viral images showing some of the pupils lying on the floor of the hospital, the CMD said the arrangement was part of standard emergency procedures used to stabilise patients.

“You needed to put some of these children on hard surfaces to be able to resuscitate them, that’s why we even have some of them on the floor. Our goal at that point was to make sure that there was no casualty,” she explained.

She commended the state government’s support for emergency healthcare response, noting that the intervention helped save lives and stabilise the pupils.

“We want to use this medium to thank our able governor for his passion for children,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady of Edo State, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani, who visited the hospital on a fact-finding mission, confirmed that the children had been stabilised and discharged.

“I have had a conversation with the CMD, the children are fine and they have been discharged and we are happy. I want to thank the management of the hospital for their swift response,” she said.

She described the incident as unfortunate but praised the prompt response of medical personnel, stressing that the safety of children remains a priority of the administration.

Also present during the visit were the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Iyamu, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Ebomonyi.