Journalists beaten over Delta stadium building collapse

Journalists beaten over Delta stadium building collapse

Several people were injured on Thursday when a building under construction at the Stephen Keshi International Stadium, Asaba, Delta State, collapsed.

It was gathered that the victims were rushed to a hospital for treatment.

The structure under construction is for the National Sports Festival scheduled to hold at the stadium on November 28, 2022.

The project was said to have been inspected by the Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Sunday Dare.

While the collapse was said to have been caused by a crane, an insider said the rush in construction to meet the delivery deadline was responsible.

Some journalists, who went to assess the level of damage, were attacked and bundled out of the stadium on the orders of the Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa.

Okowa, who doubles as the Co-Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the festival, tagged Asaba 2022, ordered his men to confiscate the working tools of the reporters.

He said, “Take them out of this place; journalists are not needed.”

When the men were reluctant in carrying out the order, he shouted, “Are they still here? Collect their gadgets and bundle them out of here.”

The men then beat up some of the journalists with different objects.

An eyewitness of the building collapse, who did not want to be identified, said an iron hit one of the workers in the head, while two others broke their legs.

“Several people were injured, but the one the iron hit in the head and two that broke their legs were very serious,” he added.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Olise Ifeajika, who was at the stadium, said it was a mild incident and not as severe as speculated.

He said, “Nobody died, nobody injured; it was a section of the multi-purpose sports hall and shooting range storey building that caved in as a result of a crane.

“It was the crane that pulled the section of the building down while delivering materials at the building.”

Also, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said the accident was caused by misalignment of the crane by its operator, which led to the heavy-duty equipment crashing on the wall of one of the floors.

He noted that only one person sustained minor injuries.