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Deadly gatherings: The alarming recurrence of fatal stampedes in Nigeria

IN 2024 alone, Nigeria witnessed the tragic loss of at least 96 lives due to stampedes, with seven deadly incidents marking the year. Over the past 13 years, these devastating events have claimed nearly 300 lives, a grim reminder of the recurring human cost of overcrowding in search of necessities.

Recently, Oyo, Ibadan, and Abuja have seen the latest outbreaks of these tragedies, sparking alarm and reflection on the underlying causes.

Stampedes in Nigeria are often tied to the desperate scramble for free goods, particularly food, palliative supplies, and relief materials. The underlying causes are painfully clearly poverty. Widespread hunger has pushed many Nigerians to overwhelming locations where such distributions take place. For instance, at the funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State, organisers promised to distribute 5,000 naira and food to 5,000 children. However, reports indicated that over 15,000 people showed up for the event, triggering a chaotic crush. This overwhelming turnout, coupled with the scarcity of resources, has led to repeated tragedies.

In recent incidents across Oyo, Anambra, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a staggering 72 people lost their lives, and many others were left injured. These tragic events are stark reminders of the dire economic situation in Nigeria, worsened by inflation, the devaluation of the naira, and the removal of fuel subsidies, which have all raised the cost of living.

Despite government attempts to mitigate the effects, such as increasing the minimum wage, the reality of everyday life remains harsh for many Nigerians, who continue to flock to relief distribution points in search of food and other necessities.

Fourteen years of stampedes in Nigeria (2010-2024)

The history of stampedes in Nigeria reveals a disturbing pattern. In 2013, during the Sallah festivities in Kwara State, a stampede occurred at the residence of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki. The tragic event, which claimed 20 lives, was sparked by a food distribution initiative. This wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred in Kwara. There were similar tragedies that had claimed the lives of 36 people between 2010 and 2011. A few years earlier, on November 17, 2010, during Saraki’s campaign for the National Assembly, 11 campaigners died in a stampede. Then, on May 27, 2011, during his inauguration, 25 people perished during a palliative distribution.

Stampede in Nigeria
Stampede in Nigeria

The roots of these events can be traced to a culture of philanthropy established by the late Alhaji Abubakar Olusola Saraki, Bukola’s father, who was known for his generous charity, especially during Eid al-Fitr celebrations. While his charitable legacy was meant to uplift the needy, it also inadvertently contributed to a series of fatal stampedes that resulted from overcrowding at these charity events.

Also, one of the most tragic incidents took place in Lagos in 2010, when a stampede at the National Stadium during the free distribution of rice and other goods resulted in the deaths of over 15 people. The event, organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other organisations, was meant to assist the vulnerable but ended in tragedy.

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In Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, another stampede happened on February 13, 2011, along Aba Road, where 10 people were reportedly trampled at Liberation Stadium, the venue of a presidential rally. The incident occurred when policemen on horseback rode into a crowd scrambling for Naira notes tossed into the air by a prominent politician.

Similarly, in Anambra State, another tragic stampede occurred in November 2013 during the “Feast of All Saints” crusade at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry in Uke. The gathering of over 100,000 people spiralled out of control, claiming 28 lives. The stampede reportedly started after a former governor, Peter Obi, was handed the microphone to speak. Tensions arose when some opposition supporters started protesting, leading to chaos, and ultimately, the deaths of 28 people.

Another heart-wrenching incident occurred in March 2014, when 16 Nigerians died in stampedes at recruitment events organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). The tragedy took place on Saturday, March 15, 2014, when 6.5 million people across all 37 states of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), flocked to various recruitment centres in search of one of the 4,000 vacant positions in the Nigeria Immigration Service. The desperate pursuit of work, combined with the disorganised nature of the event, led to a deadly crush.

The ICIR findings from 2015 to 2016 show that there were no records of stampede-reported cases in Nigeria. The only reported case that affected 54 Nigerians occurred in Minna (Saudi Arabia) during the 2015 pilgrimages, the incident occurred while the pilgrims were stoning the devil as part of the pilgrimage rite.

Another tragic stampede occurred in June 2017 in Katsina State, where five people died when hundreds of beggars rushed to collect alms from a wealthy business mogul, Kamal Ma’a Gafi. Tragically, four of the victims were children, underscoring the vulnerability of the poor and the disastrous consequences of a lack of crowd control.

The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 further exacerbated the crisis, with 23 refugees in Niger Republic dying in a stampede during a food distribution event. The refugees, who had fled the conflict in Borno State, were promised food assistance, but after the governor left, the distribution faltered, leading to a deadly stampede. This marked yet another chapter in Nigeria’s ongoing struggle with managing large crowds at aid distribution events.

In 2022, stampedes claimed 33 lives in two separate incidents. The first occurred on May 28, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at a Church event organised by the King’s Assembly. The “Shop for Free” programme, which promised free food, drew in thousands of people, and the resulting chaos, led to 31 deaths.

Similarly, on August 18, a stampede at Comfort Life Mission International Church in Lagos left two people dead and many others injured.

2024 stampedes

The start of 2024 saw several stampedes, with seven people killed during the distribution of seized rice by the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos. As part of efforts to alleviate the economic strain on Nigerians, the Customs distributed seized food items, requiring participants to pay a #10,000 fee and present their National Identification Number. Sadly, this initiative, intended to help, turned into another deadly event.

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On March 22, three students lost their lives during a rice distribution at Nasarawa State University in Keffi, while the following day, seven people died during an almsgiving event organised by Shafa Holdings in Bauchi. The desperation for food led to overcrowding, which led to disaster once again.

Perhaps, one of the saddest of these recent incidents occurred on April 5, 2024, in Sokoto, where nine people lost their lives during a food distribution event hosted by Senator Aliyu Wamakko.

In Oyo State, a stampede at a carnival in Ibadan claimed over 35 lives, most of whom were children. The event, which promised free food for the first 5,000 attendees, drew an overwhelming crowd, leading to disaster.

In Abuja, a similar tragedy occurred at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where 10 people died. Another 20 perished in Anambra on the same day, as at least 20 people were reportedly killed in the Ojika community during a rice and gift distribution event.

These events highlight a troubling trend in Nigeria, where the desperation for food and resources in times of economic hardship leads to tragic loss of lives.

What’s common across these incidents is the unrelenting hope of those who, in search of sustenance, find themselves caught in a deadly struggle for survival.

Nation reacts

Dignitaries, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, extended their condolences to the families of the deceased and all Nigerians. The president in his media chat faulted the organisers of the events, pointing out that he had been on a palliative sharing mission in his home in Lagos for the past 25 years but had never experienced any kind of stampede or crowd crumble before.



Also, towards the Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the Nigerian police launched an investigation into states where three incidents occurred. The organisers have been arrested by the police force. ICIR reported how the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife queen Noami alongside two others was arrested over the Ibadan stampede.

But concerns remain as there were no investigations on past stampede incidents even where notable people were involved. For instance, Saraki had three stampede events that claimed no fewer than 56 people. Also, the influence of Peter Obi at the crusade in a church at Uke Anambra where the former Governor was in attendance. He reportedly acknowledged that he noticed unusual reaction from the crowd after he was handed the microphone and suddenly there were political posters from members of the crusade. Obi claimed they left the location of the crusade before he heard the news.




     

     

    Also, Aliyu Wamakko the current senator representing Sokoto Central and former governor of the state had nine people died in his residence in an organised palliative distribution. Even though Kamal Ma’a Gafi was arrested in 2017 after the incident that killed five in his home during a N500 alms, there were no reports to claim he was prosecuted.

    Nigeria immigration service NIS was also caught in the incident that killed 16 people in three states and FCT in a 2014 recruitment exercise. Also the Nigeria Custom Service NCS contributed to the toll in the rice auction sale in Lagos that also claimed not less ten 7 people.

    This corroborates that philanthropic individuals, government agencies, politicians, and worship centres have contributed to the rising incidents of stampedes in countries.

    The challenge has been the lack of crowd-control measures in place and clearly some of the incidents that involved Nigeria’s paramilitary signaled that control is just beyond mobilizing security agencies to the places of distribution.

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