About 10 people are feared dead, and several others injured on Saturday morning during a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja.
The distribution of the food items has been suspended, while a combined team of police, military, and DSS officers was deployed to restore order and disperse the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) has urged all parishes across the country to put in place adequate crowd control measures to prevent any further incidents.
It was gathered that the event, organized by the Justice, Development, and Peace Commission (JDPC), the charity organ of the Catholic Church, attracted thousands of residents. The incident occurred when an overwhelming crowd, beyond the expectations of the organizers, struggled to grab the palliatives.
Speaking with The Guardian, the National Director of Social Communications at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Padre Mike Nsikak Umoh, who confirmed the incident, said it was very unfortunate that such a good deed turned tragic.
He stressed that the food distribution, ongoing in Catholic parishes across the country, was designed to bring succour to Nigerians during this Yuletide season.
Umoh noted that the incident occurred due to pressure and desperation from the crowd, adding that the organizers never envisaged such a mammoth crowd. Otherwise, they would have engaged Members of Order and Discipline (MOD) and the police.
He said, “So it’s just unfortunate that they didn’t envisage it, and the number turned out that bad. It’s an indication that hunger is real in the land; there is desperation in the land. People gravitate toward wherever there is food. It’s very sad. We commiserate with the families of those injured and any lives that were lost. We have already sent it across and drawn the attention of every parish priest to ensure that the JDPC coordinators and organisers are taking necessary precautions at the moment.
“The parish I’m just leaving now in Lagos had to bring in the Members of Order and Discipline to help arrange the crowd because even the crowd we have experienced in that parish already is also overwhelming. Before, they had to suspend the distribution of the food to ensure orderliness. What they are doing at the moment is that, while people are on the straight line, they have a marker to make sure whoever has collected goes. Otherwise, some people will collect and join the queue again, recycling and increasing the number.
“It is very unfortunate this is happening in our country Nigeria, a land of plenty. We keep hearing every day about millions and billions being stolen with no accountability. It is sad because a similar incident occurred a few days ago in Ibadan. In our history in Nigeria, just within one week, we have recorded two incidents. These are the ones we are aware of; we don’t even know whether there are others we are not aware of. So, it shows that hunger is real. People are really hungry. I can’t remember where we distributed food or whatever, and there has been a stampede or death in this manner. So, it’s an indication that hunger is real in the land; there is desperation in the land. People gravitate toward wherever there is food.”
