Ten people, including four children, were killed in a stampede in Nigeria’s capital as a large crowd gathered to collect food distributed by a local church at 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 have been evacuated from the church. church.
Viral images 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 care, Adeh said.
It is the second such stampede in a week in Africa’s most populous country, as local organizations, churches and individuals increasingly organize charity events before Christmas amid the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. .
Recent stampedes in Nigeria have raised questions about security measures at such events. Several children died earlier this week when a local foundation organized a fun fair to distribute gift items to children in the southwestern state of Oyo.
After the latest disaster, the Abuja Police announced that prior permission must be obtained before organizing such charity events.
The current economic difficulties under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who promised “renewed hope” when he took office in May 2023, are attributed to rising inflation, which is at its highest level in 28 years, and the economic policies of the government that have promoted the local currency. to a historic low against the dollar.
Frustration over the cost of living crisis has led to mass protests in recent months. In August, at least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds more arrested in a protest demanding better opportunities and jobs for young people.
In 2022, a Stampede at church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 dead and seven injured, police told The Associated Press, a shocking development in a program that aimed to offer hope to those in need. A witness said that among the dead were a pregnant woman and many children.
