Tragedy struck this morning as a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama claimed the lives of 10 individuals, including four children, and left several others injured.
In same vein,many were feared dead this morning at Okija community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State following a stampede at a palliative distribution venue.
It was gathered that the incident occurred during the distribution of palliatives by the church to vulnerable and elderly residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The FCT Police Command, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the fatalities and revealed that eight other individuals sustained injuries.
Josephine noted that four of the injured victims have since been treated and discharged, while the remaining are receiving medical attention.
It was learnt that the stampede broke out as thousands of residents scrambled to access the food items, leading to chaos and the unfortunate loss of lives.
However, the FCT Police expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
The statement read, “This tragic event, which happened at about 6:30 am, led to a stampede that claimed the lives of ten (10) individuals, including four (4) children, and left eight (8) others with varying degrees of injuries. Four (4) of the injured have been treated and discharged, while the remaining victims are receiving medical care.
‘’To prevent such unfortunate incidents in the future, the Command hereby directs that all organisations, religious bodies, groups, or individuals planning any public event, charitable activity, or large gathering in the FCT must notify the Police Command in advance.
“This will allow the deployment of adequate security measures to ensure public safety and prevent avoidable tragedies.
‘’Failure to comply with this directive will result in the organisers being held liable for any incident or loss of life resulting from their negligence,” she added
Eyewitness accounts reveal that the lhiala stampede occurred when people gathered to partake in the distribution of bags of rice donated by a prominent entrepreneur, Ernest Obiejesi, popularly known as Obijackson.
A viral video obtained by The New Daily Prime showed several lifeless bodies, predominantly women, sprawled on the ground.
Residents had begun assembling at Mr Obiejesi’s residence as early as Friday, in anticipation of the rice distribution slated for 8 a.m. today.
However, the situation spiraled out of control when more residents arrived, leading to a chaotic scene at the gate, with people pushing and shoving to gain access to the compound.
Confirming the incident, Tochukwu Ikenga, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, disclosed that while fatalities were recorded, the exact number of casualties remains unverified.
Ikenga, a superintendent of police, assured that officers have been deployed to the area to investigate the incident thoroughly.
A similar incident had occurred a few days ago in Ibadan, Oyo State, where a stampede at a children’s Funfair resulted in the deaths of at least 35 children and left six others critically injured
