22 killed in stampede at philanthropic event in Nigeria

Abuja (The Uttam Hindu): At least 22 people were killed in a stampede during a philanthropic event aimed at distributing food items and vegetable oil to locals ahead of Christmas in Okija a town in Nigeria's southeastern Anambra state. The police confirmed the incident on Sunday. Tochukwu Ikenga a spokesperson for the Anambra police stated that there were several injured victims receiving treatment at local hospitals but did not provide an exact number. The stampede occurred on Saturday morning and an investigation is currently underway. Nigeria's national police chief Kayode Egbetokun issued a strong warning about the unorganised distribution of relief goods and festive events which have recently resulted in fatalities and injuries particularly among vulnerable populations. Egbetokun called such events "uncoordinated" and stressed the need for proper crowd management.

In a separate incident, at least 10 people including four children were killed, and eight others were injured during a relief item distribution at a local church in the Maitama district of Abuja the Nigerian capital on Saturday. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has urged state and local authorities to enforce strict crowd control measures nationwide following these fatal stampedes. "Local and state authorities should no longer tolerate operational lapses by organisations and corporate bodies involved in charitable and humanitarian activities," Tinubu said. Padre Mike Nsikak Umoh spokesperson for the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria stated that the distribution event in Okija had attracted over 3,000 people from surrounding villages and low-income areas. After the tragic incident the palliative distribution was suspended. Witnesses reported that many people arrived as early as 4 a.m. for the event which was scheduled to begin between 7 and 8 a.m. Earlier in the week on Wednesday at least 35 people were killed and six critically injured in a stampede during a children's carnival in Ibadan a city in southwestern Nigeria.