Tragic Church Stampede in Nigeria's Capital Claims 10 Lives
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Abuja, Dec 22 (NationPress) Tragically, at least 10 individuals, including four children, lost their lives in a stampede that occurred during a distribution of relief items at a local church in the Maitama district of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
According to Josephine Adeh, the police spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory, eight others suffered various degrees of injuries when the distribution of relief supplies, including food and clothing in anticipation of the Christmas festivities, descended into chaos on Saturday at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama.
"Four of the injured have been treated and released, while the remaining victims are currently receiving medical attention," Adeh mentioned, highlighting that the police managed to disperse a crowd that exceeded 1,000 individuals.
Padre Mike Nsikak Umoh, the spokesperson for the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, informed reporters that the event drew over 3,000 people from surrounding villages and low-income neighborhoods. Following the "tragic incident," he announced the suspension of the "palliative distribution".
Witnesses reported that many attendees arrived as early as 4 a.m. local time, even though the event was slated to commence between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Saturday, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
In a separate announcement, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed another stampede that occurred Saturday morning in Okija, a town in the southeastern state of Anambra, during a philanthropic event aimed at distributing rice, which also turned deadly.
"Both tragedies resulted in significant loss of life and numerous injuries," Tinubu stated, subsequently canceling his official engagements for the day to honor the victims.
Referencing an earlier stampede that transpired in the southwestern city of Ibadan on Wednesday, which resulted in at least 35 deaths and six people critically injured, the Nigerian leader urged states and local authorities to enforce stringent crowd control measures across the nation.
"Local and state authorities must no longer overlook operational failures by organizations and businesses involved in charitable and humanitarian efforts," Tinubu emphasized.
