Police begin probe as 3 die in Ekiti hotel stampede

The Ekiti State Police Command says it has commenced an investigation into the death of three persons following a stampede at a hotel in Ikere-Ekiti.

The Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sunday Abutu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, April 20, 2026.

Abutu said the incident occurred at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 19, at Emirate Hotel in Ikere-Ekiti.

Abutu explained that the victims were a staff member of the hotel and two students of Bamidele Olumiluwa University of Education, Science and Technology (BOUESTI), Ikere-Ekiti.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that the students had gone to the hotel to celebrate after their convocation ceremony held on Saturday, April 18.

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The police spokesman said: “During the party, which extended into the early hours of the following day, two yet-to-be-identified students engaged in an argument that escalated into a fight.

“Other attendees attempted to flee the premises, resulting in a stampede that claimed the lives of the victims.”

Abutu added that the bodies of the deceased had been deposited in a morgue for autopsy.

Abutu urged members of the public to remain calm, assuring that the command would leave no stone unturned in uncovering the circumstances surrounding the incident.