According to Sunday PUNCH, 39 Nigerians were killed in stampedes during food-sharing events in Okija, Anambra State, and Maitama, Abuja, on Saturday.
Residents trampled on one another in their quest to advance and get the free food items supplied by organizers, resulting in deaths.
While 10 people died in Abuja, 29 were killed in Anambra.
These stampedes come only days after a similar catastrophe occurred in Ibadan, Oyo State, where 35 children died and dozens others were badly injured at a funfair.
The funfair took place on December 18, 2024, at the Islamic High School in Ibadan’s Bashorun area.
In response to the disasters, President Bola Tinubu postponed all of his official events in Lagos on Saturday, including his appearance at the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta, to mourn the stampede fatalities in Abuja and Okija, Anambra.
Tinubu’s spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu planned to observe the boat procession and other Boat Regatta activities from the waterfront of his Queen’s Drive mansion in Ikoyi.
Dignitaries, including top Lagos State Government officials and state chiefs, had already taken their seats when the president postponed his presence following briefings on the deaths.
Tinubu expressed sympathy for the victims of the tragedies in Anambra and the FCT and encouraged states and relevant authorities to implement tight crowd control measures promptly.
Tinubu said the two sad instances were distressingly similar to the recent incident in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He emphasized that municipal and state governments should no longer accept operational shortcomings by philanthropic and humanitarian organizations and corporations.
