Anger Trails Tear Gas Attack, Stampede at Edo Children’s Day Celebration

By Jethro Inegbedion

Public concern continues to grow over security and crowd-management arrangements at the 2026 Children’s Day celebration in Edo State after a stampede and tear-gas incident left several pupils and students injured at the Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.

The incident occurred on May 27 during the annual Children’s Day celebration organised by the Edo State Ministry of Education.

Witnesses said panic erupted after security personnel deployed tear gas and pepper spray during a disturbance involving students at one of the stadium entrances.

Midwest Herald’s ‘Citizen Reporter’ reported that pupils and students ran for safety as confusion spread through parts of the stadium and in the process, some sustained injuries.

Several children were later seen receiving medical attention, while others were evacuated to nearby health facilities and Edo State Specialist Hospital.

In an official statement issued after the incident, the Edo State Government acknowledged that a bouncer deployed tear gas during efforts to disperse a group of students at one of the stadium gates.

According to government, the stadium was filled to capacity with thousands of children from schools across the state and all entrances had been opened to facilitate access to the venue.

“Some excited children resorted to unruly behaviour at one of the gates, an incident that led to some kind of stampede which necessitated one of the bouncers to deploy the use of tear gas to disperse them,” the government stated.

Government admitted that a number of students sustained injuries during the resulting panic and that affected children received treatment at the Edo Specialist Hospital before being discharged.

The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dennis Idahosa, who attended the event, was reported to have assisted in coordinating emergency response efforts and ensuring that injured students received medical attention.

The government further disclosed that the security operative involved had been detained and was being interrogated by the police as part of an ongoing investigation.

However, the incident has triggered broader questions about the planning and implementation of security arrangements for an event attended primarily by children.

Parents, teachers and education stakeholders have questioned why tear gas was available for use at a gathering organised to celebrate schoolchildren and whether personnel deployed for security duties received adequate crowd-control training.

Others have called for greater transparency regarding the exact number of students affected, the nature of injuries sustained and the findings of the investigation promised by government officials.

The incident has also drawn attention to the role of the Edo State Ministry of Public Safety and Security, which was established by Governor Monday Okpebholo to oversee public safety matters in the state.

Stakeholders are seeking clarification on whether the ministry participated in planning security arrangements for the event and whether established crowd-management protocols were implemented before the programme commenced.

Questions have also been raised about emergency preparedness at the venue, including the availability of trained medical personnel, evacuation procedures and communication systems for responding to emergencies involving large gatherings of children.

Witnesses who spoke to Midwest Herald also expressed concern about the manner in which some injured pupils and students were evacuated from the stadium following the incident.

According to eyewitnesses, several affected children were transported to medical facilities in the open back of a Hilux truck and other improvised vehicles amid the confusion that followed the stampede.

The scenes, captured in videos circulated on social media, have drawn criticism from parents and public safety advocates, who argue that children suffering from respiratory distress, shock or injuries sustained during a stampede should be evacuated using properly equipped ambulances and under the supervision of trained emergency medical personnel.

Stakeholders say the reported use of open-back vehicles for the evacuation of schoolchildren raises additional questions about emergency preparedness and the availability of adequate medical response resources at an event attended by thousands of children.

Public health and emergency management experts note that the first minutes following crowd-related incidents are critical and that injured persons, particularly children, should be assessed, stabilised and transported in a manner that minimises the risk of further injury.

The Edo State Government has not publicly addressed concerns regarding the methods used to evacuate injured students or disclosed the number of ambulances deployed to the venue before the commencement of the programme.

For many parents, the images of distressed children being transported in open vehicles have become one of the most troubling aspects of an incident that was expected to celebrate and protect the wellbeing of Edo State’s schoolchildren.

Civil society organisations and opposition groups have since called for a comprehensive review of safety procedures at government-organised events.

Opposition parties in Edo State have described the incident as regrettable and urged the government to provide support for affected students and their families while ensuring accountability for those responsible for the deployment of tear gas—especially officials of the Ministry of Education, who have been accused of mismanaging over ₦9Bn budgeted for the 2026 Children’s Day Celebration.

As of press time, the Edo State Government had not publicly released details of its investigation or provided a comprehensive account of the number of students affected by the incident.

The government has nevertheless maintained that the situation was brought under control quickly and has reiterated its commitment to the safety and welfare of children across the state.

For many parents and observers, however, the events of May 27 have left lingering concerns about crowd management, emergency response and the standards applied to security operations at public events involving children.

As investigations continue, stakeholders say the priority should be establishing a full account of what happened, identifying any lapses in planning or execution, and implementing safeguards to prevent a recurrence at future school events.

What was intended to be a celebration of children has instead become a test of public confidence in the state’s capacity to organise and secure large-scale public gatherings involving young people.