Kaduna and Mustafa Abubakar With Agency Reports
14 July 2008
Ilorin — Twenty candidates in four different states across the country died on Saturday during recruitment drills conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service as part of its nationwide enlistment examination.
Eight persons died in Kaduna, another four died in Ilorin, three died in Enugu while one died in Bauchi. Over 130,000 candidates, all of them young men and women, turned up nationwide to pursue 1,260 slots in the Immigration Service.
In Kaduna, another applicant who has been unconscious since Saturday, died yesterday at the Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, bringing the state's casualty figure to eight.
Seven people had died Saturday while 10 others were hospitalised at various hospitals in Kaduna, according to witnesses' reports, following the eight hours' delay in commencement of the recruitment exercise, followed by the military-style drilling and the long distance race that they had to undergo in very humid weather as part of the physical fitness test.
Participants in the exercise said though it was initially slated for 6am when the weather was conducive, it did not commence until 2pm, by which time the weather was very hot and humid. However, due to their desperation for the job, the applicants in their thousands continued with the tasking physical test, which included the drilling and the 2.3 kilometre race, all to be concluded within a specific deadline.
Following the long wait, exertion and hunger coupled with dehydration, seven of them slumped and died during the military drilling exercise. Their corpses were taken to Barau Dikko Hospital mortuary, while many others who slumped were taken to the hospital for treatment. Ten other youngsters who fell unconscious were taken to Barau Dikko and Saint Gerard Catholic Hospitals, both in Kaduna.
When contacted on the deaths, the Comptroller of Immigration Service in Kaduna State Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Bawa said 10,000 people applied for the job, but only 2,000 from the 23 local government areas in the state took part in the recruitment exercise. He said the exercise recorded "only one casualty." Bawa also said the deceased must had been unfit and unable to go through the gruelling paramilitary drilling and exercise.
He said, "Only one person died during the recruitment exercise, according to the information available to me. You see, military drilling and long distance running are routine exercises during recruitment of paramilitary men. It is unfortunate that some of them are unfit and had to slump or go into coma. we normally warn them to ensure their fitness before coming for the exercise. We will take responsibility for the medical bills of those hospitalised."
However, relatives of some of the victims said yesterday that seeking employment in a law-abiding society needs not be fatal if all necessary precautions are taken. According to Ramatu Moha-mmed Barakallahu, sister to Malam Nasiru Mohammed, one of those who died during the exercise, "it is only the poor who are allowed to go through such pathetic situation while the rich have it all the easy way."
"It is unfortunate that it is the children of the masses that face this kind of problems. Imagine that you are asked to look for job not to be idle, only for you to apply and lose your life during the interview. it is pathetic and showed what the masses of this country go through in the course of being law abiding. Our children could not have good education because of the poor state of our schools while the children of the rich attend the best of schools abroad. Even after struggling through school you have unemployment starring you in the face and when you finally think succour has come to provide you with employment, the recruitment leads you to your grave. That is the pathetic story of the poor in our country," she said amidst tears.
In Ilorin, eight persons also lost their lives while hundreds of others sustained serious injuries at the weekend during the national recruitment exercise of the Nigeria Immigration and Prison Services.
The recruitment exercise that was to employ 35 candidates per state for each of the agencies however claimed the lives of six at the prison service recruitment venue and two at the Immigration center, both in Ilorin. Daily Trust gathered that four females and two males died at the prison service, while two males also lost their lives at the immigration service recruitment exercise.
Daily Trust observed at the venues of the exercises that a long distance race conducted among thousands of applicants with the Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and National Certificate of Education (NCE) preceded the written session. The applicants, numbering over 4,000, besieged the screening centers as early as 7 am on Saturday for the exercise.
According to an officer of the Nigeria Prison Service who spoke to Daily Trust in anonymity, the premises was overcrowded before the commencement of the recruitment exercise, adding that when the exercise finally commenced some of the applicants in an effort to get themselves screened, jumped the queue, which led to a stampede.
"Many applicants who are on the queue fell down as they trampled on one another, hence many sustained serious injury while two applicants allegedly lost there lives before they could be rushed to the hospital for medical attention", the source said.
The ugly situation led to the temporary stoppage of the exercise as those who sustained injuries were rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
When our correspondent visited the center at about 12 noon, people were seen discussing the incident as the exercise still continued.
Daily Trust also gathered from another source that there were inadequate safety precautions at the venue, nor were there any ambulances or first aid facilities. The source added that at the end of the long distance race, late comers were said to have been locked out at the immigration and prison offices in the state capital. Apparently unaware that some of the applicants had suffered from exhaustion, the examination officers immediately ushered them into the exam halls, which led some more youngsters to slump.
In Enugu, three persons were feared dead during a stampede at the recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Enugu. An eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the stampede occurred at the entrance of the Federal Secretariat Enugu, venue of the exercise.
According to the witness, the female applicants were asked to run for 20 minutes from the venue to the Federal Government College, also in Enugu. "Some made it in time, while others who did not make it were locked outside," said the eyewitness.
He said the stampede occurred when male applicants, who also performed similar physical exercise, later arrived and attempted to enter through the gate already blocked by some female applicants who were locked outside.
"The stampede left three female applicants unconscious," said the eyewitness. The Comptroller of Immigration in Enugu State, Mr David Parradang, told NAN that all those injured in the stampede were taken to Enugu Parklane Hospital.
"I have not ascertained the number of casualties yet", said the immigration comptroller. The immigration boss also said he has ordered his officers to stop further physical exercise following the incident. He said, "I do not want any further casualty.'
Doctors at the Parklane hospital Enugu declined comment on the incident. In Enugu, bout 5000 applicants had attended the recruitment test which took place nationwide. And in Bauchi, a participant collapsed and died during the same recruitment exercise on Saturday. A senior immigration officer, who preferred anonymity, told NAN that the deceased collapsed while participating in a 2.5 kilometre marathon as part of the requirements for enlistment into the service.
The incident occurred at the Police Barracks, Bauchi, venue of the exercise. "Two of the male applicants who collapsed during the marathon were rushed to a nearby hospital, but one of them died," the source said.
The male applicants were expected to finish the distance in 18 minutes while the female applicants were expected to cover the same distance in 20 minutes. "The exercise is the hardest part of the selection formalities, but some of the applicants are not physically fit enough for it," the officer said.
He said about 3,600 people applied for the 40 vacancies in the lower cadre of the service in Bauchi. The officer further said the applicants were fore-warned that those who were not fit enough should not participate as the service would not be held responsible for any problem arising from the physical exercise. some applicants were seen limping at the end of the marathon. Responding to Saturday's tragic events, the Enugu State Head of Service, Mr Albert Edeoga, said yesterday that the government will give automatic employment to 21 survivors of the stampede which occurred in Enugu.
Edeoga, who visited victims of the Saturday recruitment stampede at Parklane Hospital, Enugu, said: "We sympathise with you on the unfortunate situation and your travails. "The government has decided to give each of you that are hospitalised, automatic employment in the state after your discharge."
The head of service also said the government had also decided to pay the medical expenses of the victims. Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu State also visited the victims of the stampede at the hospital, saying "please accept our sympathy, I am assuring you that the state government will assist you within its limited resources."
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