The police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has confirmed that 10 people died in a stampede that happened at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, Abuja on Saturday morning.
The incident happened as crowd surged to cart away items the Church had planned to give out to the need for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Speaking on the sad incident, the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed that the incident took place in the early hours of Saturday when thousands of people gathered to receive food items, including rice and packs of noodles the Church had earmarked for the less privileged and vulnerable people.
The police has since restored normalcy and evacuated both rhe dead and injured people from the scene.
According to a statement signed by SP Adeh, four children were among the 10 victims that died at the stampede.
The FCT police command has also called on individuals and organisations that wish to engage in such charitable programmes to henceforth liaise with security agencies for proper crowd control.
Part of the statement reads: “This unfortunate event, which took place around 6:30am, resulted in a stampede that claimed the lives of 10 individuals, including four children, and left eight others with varying degrees of injuries.
“Four of the injured have been treated and discharged, while the remaining victims continue to receive medical care.
“The FCT Police Rapid Response Squad and the FCT Joint Task Force have successfully evacuated the remaining crowd, which numbered over a thousand.”
“The FCT Police Command extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a swift recovery to the injured. In a show of compassion and support, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu has visited the victims in the hospital to offer assistance and reassurance during this difficult time.”
“All organisations, religious bodies, groups, or individuals planning public events, charitable activities, or large gatherings in the FCT must notify the Police Command in advance. This notification is crucial for the deployment of adequate security measures to ensure public safety and prevent avoidable tragedies.
“Failure to comply with this directive will result in the organizers being held liable for any incidents or loss of life resulting from negligence.”