The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has ordered a probe into the stampede at a food distribution event in Abuja and Anambra State.
At least ten persons died and many others were injured during the distribution of food items to vulnerable and elderly individuals at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja.
Three persons were also confirmed dead and several others were wounded in a philanthropic drive in Okija, Anambra State.
‘Thorough Investigations’
In the wake of the incidents, IGP Egbetokun said negligence on the part of those distributing items is criminal.
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.
“The IGP has ordered the Commissioners of the affected states to carry out thorough investigations into these ugly incidences for further legal actions,” Adejobi said.
He asked government officials, groups, individuals, community leaders, and non-governmental bodies to work “collaboratively towards establishing a comprehensive and organized framework for distributing palliative”.
“The IGP has hereby warned groups and organizers of similar events to ensure the involvement of security agencies as negligence on their part is criminal and would not be overlooked, as provided for in Sec. 196 of the Penal Code and Sec. 344 of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the spokesman said.
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.”
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