Nobody Died in Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Says Commissioner

The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Hon. Charles Udoh, has dismissed media reports that five football fans were feared to have died following a stampede at one of the gates of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo during the Nigeria versus Zambia World Cup qualifier last Saturday.

Speaking in Uyo yesterday, the commissioner said reports of death during the World Cup match were far from what transpired at the stadium.

“I wish to categorically state that the said report is false and tainted with malice,” observed the Udoh.

He however admitted that there was a rush by spectators; who arrived the venue after the match had started, trying to gain entrance into the stadium which led to a few of them sustaining minor injuries.

“There were nine people injured during the incident and all of them were taken to the hospital for treatment while no life was lost. The Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer and the Commissioner for Health confirmed this,” the commissioner stressed.

Udoh insisted that the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium is probably the best maintained sporting facility in Nigeria today and has no history of poor crowd control as posited in the report.

“It is on record that Akwa Ibom State is reputed as being; not only a peaceful state but a safe and secure state with credible leadership which is one of the reasons why the state has; in the last 18 months, been listed by the National Bureau of Statistics as the second largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination in Nigeria.

“We are dismayed that such a report; which has a high potency of painting a negative picture of not only Akwa Ibom but Nigeria as country, was published without verifying the facts. It is instructive to note that the Nigeria vs Zambia match was a FIFA organised match and mischievous insinuations as contained in the said report could easily lead to Nigeria being sanctioned,” concludes the commissioner.