Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has directed an investigation into the stampede at a food distribution event in Anambra State and Abuja.
The delivery of food to elderly and needy people at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, resulted in at least ten fatalities and numerous injuries.
Additionally, three verified deaths and multiple injuries were reported during a charity drive in Okija, Anambra State.
After the events, IGP Egbetokun said it was illegal for people to be careless when distributing goods.
During a press conference held in Abuja on Saturday, Muyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), conveyed the directive from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) mandating all police commissioners in the relevant states to investigate the incidents in question.
“The IGP has instructed the Commissioners of the affected states to conduct thorough enquiries into these unfortunate occurrences for subsequent legal proceedings,” Adejobi stated.
He urged government officials, organisations, individuals, community leaders, and non-governmental entities to engage in a collaborative effort aimed at establishing a comprehensive and systematic framework for the distribution of palliative measures.
“The Inspector General of Police has issued a caution to groups and organisers of comparable events, emphasising the necessity of engaging security agencies. Any negligence in this regard is deemed a criminal offence and will not be disregarded, as stipulated in Section 196 of the Penal Code and Section 344 of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” stated the spokesperson.
In response to the numerous stampedes, President Bola Tinubu has cancelled his activities in Lagos State.
“To honour the victims of the stampede in Abuja and Okija, Anambra State, President Bola Tinubu cancelled all of his official events in Lagos today, including his attendance at the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta,” a statement from presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga read.
“We join our fellow citizens in their sorrow over the tragic deaths of their loved ones during this time of happiness and celebration. They have our prayers for divine consolation and health,” Tinubu was cited as saying.
According to Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (2023) presidential contender, systemic failure was to blame for the tragedies.
He posted on X, saying, “These tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society, but I will not place blame, but instead thank the organisers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor.”
“In these hard economic times, our people have been driven to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives, in a desperate attempt to survive.”
