Maitama, Okija Stampede, Women Affair Minister Express Pain
*says incidences avoidable
Minister of Women Affairs Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has lamented the loss of lives in Maitama, Abuja, and Okija, in Anambra State, during food distribution drives by private institutions aimed at supporting the people as they celebrate the festive season.
The minister expressed deep grief, describing the donors’ gestures as laudable but condemning the crowd management approaches adopted.
In a statement on Saturday by her media team, Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated that they were avoidable incidents and prayed for the repose of their lives and speedy recovery for those injured.
While condoling with the FCT Minister, His Excellency Nyesom Wike, and the Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, the minister called for thorough investigations into the incidents to forestall future occurrences.
The minister emphasized the need for crowd assessment, which involves estimating the number of recipients and planning accordingly as a pre-event measure.
She also admonished Nigerians planning similar distributions to choose spacious, open areas with minimal obstacles, adding that distributions should be scheduled when the crowd is likely to be smaller.
The statement reads in parts: “I am deeply pained by the news of stampedes in Abuja and Okija in Anambra State today. As a mother, I understand the pain of losing anyone in death under such horrible circumstances. I join the families and governments of the FCT and Anambra State in these distressing moments and feel the pains of those directly affected.
“These incidences are avoidable if adequate safety measures are put in place. I hereby call on security agencies to investigate these cases to forestall future occurrences.
“By implementing the above measures, the risk of stampedes during food distribution would be minimized.
