The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has ordered an investigation into the stampede that occurred during a food distribution event in Abuja and Anambra State.
At least ten people died and many others were injured at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, where food items were being distributed to vulnerable and elderly individuals.
Additionally, three people were confirmed dead and several others were injured during a philanthropic event in Okija, Anambra State.
In response to these tragic incidents, IGP Egbetokun stated that negligence on the part of those distributing the items is a criminal offense.
At a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Muyiwa Adejobi quoted the IGP as mandating all police commissioners in the affected states to probe the incidents.
Reactions have continued to trail the multiple stampedes with President Bola Tinubu cancelling his events in Lagos State.
“President Bola Tinubu cancelled all his official events in Lagos today, including his attendance at the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta in honour of the stampede victims in Abuja and Okija, Anambra State,” presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement.
”In a season of joy and celebration, we grieve with fellow citizens mourning the painful losses of their loved ones. Our prayers of divine comfort and healing are with them,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
On his part, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election Peter Obi attributed the incidents to systemic failure.
“While I will not cast blame, but instead appreciate the organizers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society,” he wrote on X.
“The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.”
