3 feared dead as Asaba stadium collapses

No less than three persons have been reportedly killed as the multiple sports complex at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State, collapsed this morning.

Scores of others were injured and were rushed to the hospital.

Among the dead were construction workers at the site of the building, TheEditorial understands.

The two-storey is under construction in preparation for the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) to be hosted at the stadium from November 28, this year.

A team of journalists including Paul Osuyi of the Sun, Monday Osayande of Guardian and Amaechi Okwara of Blueprint who went to access the level of damage were bundled out of the stadium on the orders of the chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa.

Mr Okowa, who doubles as Co-Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the festival tagged Asaba 2022, ordered his boys to confiscate the working tools of the journalists.

Handing out the order, Okowa said to take them out of this place, journalists are not needed.”

But when his boys were reluctant in carrying out the order, he shouted “are they still here, collect their gadgets and bundle them out of here.”

The boys, in carrying out the order, beat the journalists, hitting them with sport gun and other objects.

Recall that the collapsed building was recently inspected by the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, who gave a pass mark, saying that the facilities were 80% ready for use.

However, some structural engineers expressed concerns over the speed at which the construction was going, doubting the integrity of the buildings under construction.