The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has ordered a probe into the stampede at a food distribution event in Abuja and Anambra State.
At least ten persons died and many others were injured during the distribution of food items to vulnerable and elderly individuals at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja.
Three persons were also confirmed dead and several others were wounded in a philanthropic drive in Okija, Anambra State.
In the wake of the incidents, IGP Egbetokun said negligence on the part of those distributing items is criminal.
At a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Muyiwa Adejobi quoted the IGP as mandating all police commissioners in the affected states to probe the incidents.or their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society,” he wrote on X.
“The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.”
