LAGOS: At least 13 people died in two incidents in Nigeria on Saturday as crowds, mostly women and children, scrambled for charity, police authorities said.

In the state capital Abuja, at least 10 people died and many more were injured in a scramble to receive gifts of charity being distributed by the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama district.

“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,” said Josephine Adeh, a police spokesperson.

In Okija in Anambra state, southeastern Nigeria, a crowd crush occurred after a member of the community offered gifts including rice, vegetable oil and money.

State police said three people were confirmed dead though eyewitnesses and Amnesty International Nigeria put the death toll at 20 with more injured. In both incidents, the victims were mostly women and children who were trampled as crowds tried to reach the provisions being offered.

On Thursday, at least 32 people died in a similar incident at an Islamic high school in Ibadan, the capital of Nigeria’s southwest Oyo state.

Africa’s most populous country faces its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades as reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu have slashed subsidies for electricity and fuel while a devaluation has eroded the value of the currency. Inflation in November rose to 34.60 per cent in annual terms from 33.88pc in October, marking a third consecutive monthly rise.

Amnesty International Nigeria in a statement on Saturday said that for many Nigerians “having ordinary rice at home is turning into a luxury”. The London-based human rights group urged authorities to promptly, thoroughly, independently, and transparently investigate how these charity events descended into disaster.Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024