Nigeria suffers another deadly crackdown on an event that provides free food

The death toll from a stampede in the town of Okija in Nigeria has risen to 22, police said.

This is the third time this week that people have been beaten to death at events where free food was being distributed.

The deaths in Okija occurred during a charity event on Saturday, when residents rushed to collect Christmas gifts, including rice and vegetable oil.

On the same day, a similar tragedy that happened at a Catholic church in the capital Abuja killed 10 people, while 35 children died during a carnival event on Wednesday in the city of Ibadan.

Police have now warned promoters to inform the authorities before they hold charity events to avoid loss of life in this way.

Toyin Abdul Kadri, who witnessed the massacre at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja, told AFP that those present “forced their way in and forced their way in”.

The event involved “vulnerable and elderly people” and four children died, police said.

In a social media post about the victims, Amnesty International Nigeria wrote: “The government of President Bola Tinubu must prioritize tackling widespread hunger, high unemployment and deteriorating living standards.”

Food and transport costs have more than tripled in Nigeria in the last 18 months.

Global inflation has been exacerbated by some of the government’s policies – designed to strengthen the economy in the long term – such as ending fuel subsidies.

In a statement on the commemoration of the dead, President Bola Tinubu said: “At a time of joy and celebration, we grieve with our fellow citizens who mourn the tragic loss of their loved ones. Our prayers for divine comfort and healing are with them.”

He has called on state governments and police to use stricter crowd control measures, and has withdrawn all official engagements out of respect for the victims.

He also noted the similarities in the incidents, including one earlier this week that occurred in the southwest of the city of Ibadan.

A Crush at a funfair at school where 35 children died and six others were seriously injured.

Thousands of people came for the promise of free food.

Residents of Bashorun, a suburb of Ibadan, told the BBC that the crowd soon exceeded 5,000 with many trying to force their way into the school gate. The parents are said to have tried to scale the fence surrounding the compound to gain entry.

Police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said these three “sad” incidents show the urgent need for an organized and effective way of delivering assistance to vulnerable communities and members of society at large.