Ten people, including four children, were killed in a stampede in Nigeria’s capital as a large crowd gathered to collect food items distributed by a local church during a Christmas event, police said Saturday.
The stampede occurred early in the morning at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upscale area of Abuja, police spokesperson Josephine Adeh said in a statement, adding that more than 1,000 people had been evacuated from the church.
Viral footage that appeared to be from the scene showed lifeless bodies lying on the ground as people screamed for help.
Some of the injured have been treated and released while others continue to receive medical treatment, Adeh said.
It is the second such stampede in a week in Africa’s most populous country, as local organizations, churches and individuals increasingly hold charity events ahead of Christmas, amid of the worst cost of living crisis the country has seen in a generation.
Recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about security measures at such events. Several children were killed earlier in the week when a local foundation organized a funfair to distribute gifts to children in the southwestern state of Oyo.
After the latest disaster, Abuja police announced that prior permission must be obtained before organizing such charity events.
The current economic woes under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who promised “renewed hope” when he was sworn in in May 2023, are blamed on rising inflation, to its highest level in 28 years, and government economic policies that pushed the local currency. at a record level against the dollar.
Frustration over the cost of living crisis has led to massive protests in recent months. In August, at least 20 people were shot and killed and hundreds more were arrested during a protest demanding better opportunities and jobs for young people.
In 2022, a stampede at church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 people dead and seven injured, police told The Associated Press, a shocking development for a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. A witness said the dead included a pregnant woman and numerous children.
