Nigeria suffers another deadly crush at event offering free food

The death toll from a stampede in Nigeria’s Okija has risen to 22, police said.

This is the third case this week where people have been crushed to death during events that distribute free food.

The deaths in Okija happened during a charity event on Saturday, where people rushed to collect Christmas gifts, including rice and vegetable oil.

On the same day, a similar tragedy that happened at a Catholic church in Abuja killed 10 people, while 35 children died during a carnival on Wednesday in Ibadan.

The police have now warned the organizers of the rally to inform the authorities before carrying out the charity event in order to avoid loss of life.

Toyin Abdul Kadri, who witnessed the destruction of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja, told the AFP news agency that those who attended “forced the gates and forced their way in”.

The incident affected “disadvantaged and elderly people” and four children were killed, police said.

In a report on human rights abuses, Amnesty International Nigeria wrote: “The government of President Bola Tinubu should prioritize ending hunger, unemployment and low living standards.”

Food and transport costs have more than tripled in Nigeria in the last 18 months.

The decline in the global average has been exacerbated by other government policies – designed to stimulate the economy in the long term – such as ending oil subsidies.

In his speech about the horrific massacre, President Bola Tinubu said: “In this season of joy and celebration, we sympathize with fellow citizens mourning the painful loss of their loved ones.”

He urged the government and the police to put in place measures to control the mass of people, and to stop everything they are doing out of respect for the victims.

They have seen similar incidents, including one earlier this week in the southwestern city of Ibadan.

A break up at the school funfair there they killed 35 children and seriously injured six others.

Thousands of people had come on the promise of free food.

Residents of Bashorun, an area of ​​Ibadan, told the BBC that the crowd soon exceeded 5,000 as many tried to pass through the school gate. Parents are said to have tried to extend the fence around the stadium to make way.

Police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the three “tragic” incidents show “the urgent need for a sustainable and effective way of providing assistance to vulnerable people and the general public”.