The numerous stampedes in two food distribution programmes have prompted former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar to advocate for improved crowd control during major events.
After a stampede during a food distribution event hosted by a church in Abuja and another in the Okija town of Anambra State early on Saturday, numerous people were killed, and numerous more are still recovering from injuries.
Atiku said that he was “deeply saddened and with a heavy heart” when he learnt of the twin stampede.
In a post on his X Twitter late Saturday, Atiku stated, “It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that I receive yet again the heartbreaking news of lives lost in tragic stampedes, this time in Okija, Anambra, and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, ending in the untimely passing of many.”
“The safety and well-being of all participants must be the top priority for those tasked with organising such large-scale events, and they must do so with the utmost care.”
“I am deeply saddened to learn that numerous people have died in horrific stampedes in Okija, Anambra, and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, yet again.
“The agony is even more intolerable.”
The PDP’s presidential candidate in both the 2023 and 2019 elections recalled a similar tragedy in Ibadan, Oyo State, where a funfair claimed the lives of approximately 35 people, most of whom were children.”
His “anguish is all the more unbearable,” he claims because the twin stampedes occurred “just days after the devastating loss of” lives in Ibadan.
The former vice president remarked, “I offer my deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones in today’s tragic events on behalf of my family.
“We pray and think of the bereaved families, hoping they find comfort, and the deceased, hoping they rest in eternal peace.”
A stampede that occurred during a food distribution programme for the weak and indigent in Abuja has resulted in ten verified deaths and numerous injuries.
Police have already requested an investigation into the stampedes and demanded that charity event organisers improve crowd control.
