The Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment incident about two weeks ago which claimed at least 19 lives across the country nearly replayed Tuesday during the screening of fresh candidates seeking admission at the University of Benin, UNIBEN, Edo State.

Our correspondent reports that scores of applicants sustained various degrees of injuries following a heavy stampede caused by an attempt by the crowd (numbering thousands) to force their way into the Akin Deko auditorium-venue of the screening exercise.

They were reportedly prevented by the institution’s security personnel who forcefully shut the gate against them, causing many to fall down in the push, while others trampled on them in the commotion created.

It was rumoured that one person died in the process but that could not be verified although it was confirmed that many injured persons were rushed to unknown hospitals.

As proof of the struggle, the iron barricade of the western gate entrance into the university was broken, even as students still held on to it as they tried to get their way into the hall.