Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
An otherwise joyful Children’s Day celebration in Edo State turned into a scene of panic and injury on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, when a bouncer deployed tear gas inside a packed stadium, causing dozens of pupils to faint, struggle to breathe and flee in terror. The incident occurred at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City during an event organised by the Edo State Ministry of Education to mark the 2026 National Children’s Day, which coincided with the Eid‑el‑Kabir festival.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts, a large turnout of excited pupils—many of them young children—began showing unruly behaviour near one of the stadium gates, leading to a stampede. In an attempt to restore order, a bouncer attached to a private security outfit discharged tear gas or pepper spray directly into a section filled with students. Several pupils, particularly young girls, were seen collapsing, with some experiencing severe breathing difficulties and others being trampled in the frantic rush to escape.
“The stadium was filled to capacity with thousands of excited children who came to participate in the day’s activities. The turnout was unprecedented,” the state government later said in a statement. It admitted that “some excited children resorted to unruly behaviour at one of the gates, an incident that led to some kind of stampede which necessitated one of the bouncers to deploy the use of tear gas to disperse them.”
Witnesses told reporters that trouble had started when a group of male students from Ihogbe College allegedly made inappropriate advances toward female students at the venue. A parent, Oboh Emmanuel, said the behaviour “attracted the attention of the bouncers stationed at the stadium as they rebuked the male students.” However, the affected students reportedly regrouped and attacked the bouncer, prompting him to discharge the chemical agent into the crowd.
In the ensuing pandemonium, several students collapsed, while others were injured by flying stones thrown during the melee. A student who witnessed the scene told The Sun: “Three students collapsed after the tear gas was fired. One student was injured in the head after a stone was thrown by another student.”
Many of the affected pupils were rushed to the Edo State Specialist Hospital, where medical staff reported treating dozens of children for respiratory distress and minor injuries. While most were discharged later that night, two students remained under observation as of Wednesday evening, with doctors saying they were stable and expected to be released after a short period of monitoring.
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Dr. Patrick Ebojele, confirmed the incident and disclosed that the bouncer who fired the tear gas had been immediately arrested and was being interrogated by the police to determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident. “The man who used pepper spray has been detained,” Ebojele told The Punch. “The incident did not happen the way it is being exaggerated. All modalities were put in place to ensure the children enjoyed their day.”
The Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa, who was physically present at the stadium, personally helped administer first aid to affected children and coordinated the emergency response. The state government said an investigation had been authorised and that the bouncer’s actions would be fully scrutinised. “The government wishes to restate its commitment to the safety and security of all, including our children,” the statement read. “We call on social media users to refrain from unverified narratives that could cause unnecessary panic.”
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from parents and civil society groups, who expressed outrage that a children’s celebration could turn into a scene of chemical exposure and injury. Some have questioned the use of private security personnel with access to crowd‑control weapons at a gathering of minors, while others have called for criminal charges to be filed against the bouncer. The state government, however, maintained that the event had been well planned and that the unfortunate incident was an isolated one caused by the unprecedented turnout and the unruly conduct of a small group of students.
As of Thursday, May 28, 2026, the two students who remained in the hospital were reported to be in stable condition and were expected to be discharged later in the day. The police investigation is ongoing, and no further arrests have been announced.
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