There was a stampede at the Oyo State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ibadan, on Tuesday, as no fewer than 20 applicants who came for written test sustained injuries.
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that about 15,000 job seekers stormed the INEC office on Mokola-Secretariat road from about 5:00a.m. for the test aimed at employing about 150 people for the various jobs earlier advertised by the commission.

The commission’s Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Ayodele Folami, who confirmed the incident in an interview with newsmen, said he could not confirm the number of the applicants who sustained injuries during the stampede, adding that those who sustained “minor injuries were treated by the commission.”

According to him, the advertisement was placed by the INEC national headquarters and the examination was conducted by some national commissioners led by Prince Adedeji Soyebi.

While the Nigerian Tribune learnt that about 500 people would be employed by the commission throughout the country, Folami stated that it was only the national headquarters of the commission in Abuja that could determine the number of those to be employed in Oyo State.

He said that the stampede was as a result of the unruly nature of the applicants, as all control measures put in place were ignored.

He said because the applicants were desperate, “they became unruly; they disobeyed security operatives as some of them had to scale through the fence.”

Folami said that between 9:00 am and 10: am the crowd became uncontrollable as they overwhelmed the 20 regular policemen sent by the state police commissioner, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, for crow control.

He said the initial arrangement was that the applicants would be allowed to sit for the examination in batches of 500 but the arrangement was disrupted as the applicants caused traffic hold up on the road.

According to him, since the commission did not want to postpone the examination, it was shifted to the mainbowl of the Lekan Salami Sport Complex, Adamasingba, where the applicants sat for the examination under one hour.

Some of the applicants who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune described the incident as pathetic.

When the Nigerian Tribune visited the INEC headquarters, some of the applicants were seen trekking from the Adamasingba to come and pick their valuables left behind during the incident.

Na wa for unemployment in nigeria 15,000 applicants for 150 spaces.