13 People Including Children Die in Stampedes In Nigeria At

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – At least 13 individuals, including 4 kids, were killed in two different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to collect food and clothes items dispersed at annual Christmas events, the cops stated Saturday.

The 2 accidents came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populous nation, in the middle of a growing trend by local organizations, churches and individuals to drive ahead of Christmas, as the nation has problem with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten individuals were killed in the very first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, cops spokesman Josephine Adeh stated in a statement, including that more than 1,000 individuals have been evacuated from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as lots tried to go into the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift items were to be shared, witnesses stated, mentioning that some had actually been waiting because the previous night.

“The way they were rushing to get in, some people were falling and a few of them were old,” Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he managed to save one baby as his mother had a hard time in the surge.

Three people passed away in a similar crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state’s Okija town at a charity drive organized by a philanthropist, the state cops stated.

“The event had not even begun when the rush started,” cops spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga said. There might be more deaths tape-recorded as officers investigate the occurrence, he said.

Viral video that appeared to be from the Abuja scene revealed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as people shouted for help. A few of the injured have been treated and released while others continue to get healthcare, cops stated.

The church canceled the charity event with bags of rice and clothes items still set up within the premises.

As the church held a wedding after the crowd was left, the pain and sadness stayed palpable even as households and friends gathered for wedding photos.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu expressed his compassion with the victims’ families and asked states and appropriate authorities to implement rigorous crowd control procedures.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about precaution in such events. Several children were killed on Wednesday today when a local structure organized a well-attended funfair to distribute gift items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the latest catastrophe, the authorities in Abuja announced that previous permission needs to be gotten before such fundraiser are arranged.

The existing financial hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed “renewed hope” when he was sworn into workplace in May 2023, is blamed on rising inflation that is at a 28-year high and the government ´ s financial policies that have pressed the regional currency to tape low versus the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in mass demonstrations in recent months. In August, a minimum of 20 people were shot dead and hundreds of others were arrested at protests demanding better chances and jobs for youths.