At least 32 people died in crowd crushes at two charity events in Nigeria on Saturday. The tragedies occurred during distribution events for vulnerable groups in the southeastern state of Anambra and the capital city Abuja.
In Anambra, 22 people were killed when hundreds of people surged forward to receive bags of rice. The victims included women, elderly individuals, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children. Christian Aburime, Chief Press Secretary to the Anambra State Governor, condemned the tragedy, calling for a more structured approach to distributing assistance.
In Abuja, ten people, including four children, were killed during a food distribution event for vulnerable groups at a local church. The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja mourned the victims, describing the incident as a “devastating blow” to his community.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu cancelled his appearance at a boat regatta in Lagos after the tragedies and urged states and authorities to enforce strict crowd control measures immediately. He commiserated with the victims’ families, saying that the incidents were a “painful loss” during a season of joy and celebration.
This weekend’s deaths follow a recent crowd crush in Ibadan that killed at least 35 children. Nigeria’s economic reforms, implemented by President Tinubu since taking office in 2023, have been criticized for increasing hardship for citizens.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/22/africa/nigeria-crowd-crush-charity-events-intl/index.html