No fewer than 39 Nigerians have lost their lives following stampedes during food-sharing events in Okija, Anambra State, and Maitama, Abuja, on Saturday.
In the struggle to get ahead and obtain the free food items distributed by organisers, the residents trampled upon one another, leading to the deaths.
While 10 residents died in Abuja, 29 were reported killed in Anambra.
These stampedes are coming days after a similar incident occurred in Ibadan, Oyo State, where 35 children lost their lives and several others were left critically injured during a funfair.
The funfair was held on December 18, 2024, at the Islamic High School in the Bashorun district of Ibadan.
In the Saturday Abuja stampede, 10 persons were confirmed dead at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, Abuja, where the outreach was held.
The incident occurred around 6 am during an annual charity event organised by parishes of the Catholic Church to distribute foodstuffs to the poor and the vulnerable in the community.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as John, said the crowd remained orderly until around 5am.
He said, “Many people came from Mararaba, Nyanya, and Mpape areas to benefit from the church’s food distribution.
“To be honest, the church didn’t anticipate the size of the crowd that showed up. Although there were two security operatives on duty, they couldn’t manage the growing crowd effectively.
“Initially, everyone was orderly, but as the day broke, the number of people doubled. In their desperation to get the rice first, people began pushing and shoving. Before we knew it, we started hearing cries for help from those who had fallen or sustained injuries. The police came to rescue those injured and dispersed others who waited behind with the hope that the distribution would continue.”
The National Director of Social Communications at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Reverend Father Mike Umoh, expressed sadness at the incident, stating that the parish might have been overwhelmed by the large turnout.
He noted that the church had never experienced such an occurrence in the years since the outreach began.
He said the sad event should be a signal to other organisers to be more careful and implement better crowd control measures.
Confirming the deaths, Umoh said, “Yes, it is true that a sad incident was recorded in the process of the charity outreach of the parish today at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama.
“It is good to know that in almost every parish in Nigeria, especially the viable parishes, this exercise has always been on, and the people who go are aware. The beneficiaries usually lookout to know the day.
“In fact, they begin to inform one another about it. This exercise is usually taken up by the social arm of the church, which is known as the Justice and Peace Development. They coordinate it on behalf of every parish. So it’s something that has been on for years.”
Umoh also noted that the stampede pointed to the state of the nation and the hunger in the country.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT Command, SP Josephine Adeh, said 10 persons died in the incident, while eight others were injured and had been taken to a hospital for treatment.
Similarly, the Head of Public Affairs of the FCT Emergency Management Department, Nkechi Isa, in a statement, confirmed the incident, adding that 10 persons were injured.
“The stampede occurred while the church was distributing palliatives to the less privileged members of society. The unfortunate event occurred at 6:30 am today,” the statement partly read.
Reacting to the tragedies, President Bola Tinubu cancelled all his official events in Lagos on Saturday, including his attendance at the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta to mourn the stampede victims in Abuja and Okija, Anambra.
Tinubu was scheduled to watch the boat parade and other activities of the Boat Regatta from the waterfront of his Queen’s Drive residence in Ikoyi, his spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement.
Dignitaries, including top officials of the Lagos State Government and chiefs from the state, were already seated when the president cancelled his appearance following briefings on the tragedies.
Commiserating with the victims of the incidents in Anambra and the FCT, Tinubu urged states and relevant authorities to enforce strict crowd control measures immediately.
Tinubu said the two tragic incidents bore a distressing resemblance to the recent incident in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He said local and state authorities should no longer tolerate operational lapses by organisations and corporate bodies involved in charitable and humanitarian activities.