A tragic stampede at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, on Saturday morning claimed the lives of 10 people, including four children.
Eight others sustained injuries during the incident, which occurred as the church distributed palliatives to vulnerable and elderly residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The chaos erupted when thousands of residents surged forward to access the food items, leading to the unfortunate loss of lives.
The FCT Police Command confirmed the fatalities and injuries in a statement issued by its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh. According to the statement, four of the injured have been treated and discharged, while the remaining victims are still receiving medical care.
The statement read: “This tragic event, which occurred at about 6:30 am, resulted in a stampede that claimed the lives of ten (10) individuals, including four (4) children, and left eight (8) others with varying degrees of injuries. Four (4) of the injured have been treated and discharged, while the remaining victims are still receiving medical care.
“To prevent such unfortunate incidents in the future, the Command hereby directs that all organisations, religious bodies, groups, or individuals planning any public event, charitable activity, or large gathering in the FCT must notify the Police Command in advance.
“This will enable the deployment of adequate security measures to ensure public safety and prevent avoidable tragedies.
“Failure to comply with this directive will result in the organisers being held liable for any incident or loss of life caused by their negligence.”
The police extended their condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a swift recovery.
