Approximately 16 students from the University of Calabar (UNICAL) are now receiving medical attention at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) after a stampede occurred during their attempt to gain entry to an examination hall to secure seats for a postponed General Studies and Communication Skills (GSS) examination.
According to Mrs. Ruth Bisong, an eyewitness, said the stampede transpired when the students, slated to take the GSS examination, crowded the hall on the rescheduled Saturday, having been initially postponed from Friday.
The examination was intended for 100-Level students from various faculties.
While the GSS examination was originally planned to be conducted in batches, the students reportedly failed to enter the examination hall in an organized manner, resulting in a rush to secure limited available seating.
Mrs. Bisong informed LEADERSHIP that the GSS examination was meant to be the culmination of the second-semester examinations, which commenced on October 16, 2023, prior to the unfortunate incident.
Efforts to obtain comments from the University of Calabar Management were unsuccessful, as calls to the Institution’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Eyo Effiong, were unanswered as of press time. Additionally, no official statement regarding the stampede had been released by the university authorities at the time of filing this report.
