Nigerian Emergency Agency NEMA Puts All Offices On Alert Over Fatal Stampedes

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said it has put all its zonal, territorial and operations offices on alert to tackle the growing incidents of stampedes leading to deaths.

The NEMA also called for better crowd management during palliative distribution to prevent stampedes and the resulting loss of lives.

The NEMA’s appeal follows a series of tragic incidents in Ibadan, Oyo State; Okija, Anambra State; and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where stampedes during palliative distribution led to deaths and injuries within four days.

In a statement released on Saturday, NEMA’s Director-General, Zubaida Umar, expressed concern over the recurring incidents.

She emphasised that the goodwill behind charity events was often overshadowed by poor planning and crowd control, turning acts of kindness into sources of grief.

NEMA urged organisers to prioritise safety measures and adopt structured approaches to palliative distribution to ensure such tragedies do not recur.

The statement read, “While sympathising with the families of the deceased and those injured, she urged organisers of similar events to engage professionals and seek the support of security agencies to manage crowds effectively. She emphasised the importance of ensuring safety during such activities to prevent recurring tragedies.

“The Director General NEMA said all zonal, territorial and operations offices of the agency have been activated to respond to emergencies and provide support to first responders in the area of traffic management due to the usual increase of traffic during the yuletide and end of the year festivities,” Umar added.

Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that a stampede in Okija community, Anambra State, left several residents feared dead during a rice-sharing event.

The incident occurred on Saturday when a large crowd gathered to receive free bags of rice to the residents.

In a video posted, a witness expressed sorrow over the incident at Okija in Anambra South, where a stampede reportedly claimed the lives of several women.

It was gathered that some women had gathered to collect their share of rice distributed by Obijackson.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that tragedy struck on Saturday morning as a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama claimed the lives of 10 individuals, including four children, and left several others injured.

It was gathered that the incident occurred during the distribution of palliatives by the church to vulnerable and elderly residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The FCT Police Command, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the fatalities and revealed that eight other individuals sustained injuries.

Josephine noted that four of the injured victims have since been treated and discharged, while the remaining are receiving medical attention.

It was learnt that the stampede broke out as thousands of residents scrambled to access the food items, leading to chaos and the unfortunate loss of lives.