13 People Including Children Die in Stampedes In Nigeria At

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – A minimum of 13 people, consisting of four children, were eliminated in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds collected to gather food and clothes products distributed at yearly Christmas events, the police stated Saturday.

The two accidents came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populous nation, amidst a growing trend by regional companies, churches and individuals to arrange fundraiser ahead of Christmas, as the country has problem with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people 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, police spokesman Josephine Adeh said in a statement, including that more than 1,000 people have been left from the church.

There was a crowd rise at one of the church gates, as dozens tried to get in the properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the present items were to be shared, witnesses said, pointing out that some had been waiting because the previous night.

“The method they were rushing to enter, some people were falling and some of them were old,” Loveth Inyang, a . Inyang said he handled to save one child as his mother had a hard time in the surge.

Three people passed away in a similar crush later in the southeastern Anambra state’s Okija town at a fundraiser arranged by a philanthropist, the state police stated.

“The occasion had actually not even begun when the rush started,” cops spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths taped as officers investigate the occurrence, he said.

Viral video that appeared to be from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as individuals yelled for aid. A few of the injured have been dealt with and discharged while others continue to get healthcare, authorities stated.

The church canceled the charity occasion with bags of rice and clothes items still arranged within the premises.

As the church held a marriage ceremony after the crowd was evacuated, the misery and sadness stayed palpable even as friends and families gathered for wedding images.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu expressed his sympathy with the victims’ families and asked states and relevant authorities to implement stringent crowd control measures.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about safety procedures in such events. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday today when a regional structure organized a well-attended funfair to disperse present items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the newest catastrophe, the cops in Abuja revealed that prior authorization needs to be obtained before such charity events are arranged.

The current economic challenge 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 economic policies that have pushed the regional currency to record 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 individuals were shot dead and numerous others were jailed at protests requiring better opportunities and tasks for youths.