Minister Expresses Sadness over Loss of Lives in Maitama, Okija Stampedes

*Says tragic incidents avoidable

Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has lamented the losses of lives in Maitama, Abuja and at Okija, in Anambra State during food distribution by private institutions aimed at supporting the people as they celebrate the festive season.

The minister expressed deep grief, describing the gestures of the donors as laudable, but condemned the crowd management approach 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 with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, the minister called for thorough investigations into the sad incidents in order to forestall future occurrence.

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 who are planning similar distributions to choose spacious, open areas with minimal obstacles, adding that distributions should be scheduled at a time 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 this distressing moments, and feels the pains of those directly affected.

“These incidents are avoidable if adequate safety measures are put in place. I hereby call on security agencies to investigate these cases in order to forestall future occurrence.

“By implementing the above measures, the risk of stampedes during food distribution would be minimized.”