The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has explained how 10 persons died and 11 others were injured during the December 21, 2024 food sharing stampede at the Holy Trinity Parish, Maitama, Abuja.

He gave the explanation on Sunday in Abuja at the holy mass in honour of the victims of the incident.

He also declared Fr. Moses Jimbili, the President of St. Vincent de Paul Maitama, Ms Juliet Onwuemelia, and all members of the society as heroes and heroines of 2024 for their selfless commitment to feeding the poor.

Daily Trust had reported the Saturday incident during the distribution of rice and other palliatives at the church in Maitama resulting in 10 deaths and injuries.

Our correspondent also reports that three days before the Abuja incident, on December 18, 2024, not less than 35 children died and many others were injured, in a crowd crush during a Christmas funfair event in Ibadan, Oyo State at the Bashorun district?s Islamic High School, where thousands of children and family members had gathered for advertised cash handouts and food distributions.

Similarly, on same the day the Abuja incident happened, another incident occurred in Okija community in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State, resulting in 21 deaths and others with various degrees of injury in a stampede caused by the distribution of rice and other palliatives.

Kaigama, however, said the Abuja incident was not out of negligence, especially since the church had for many years been carrying out such exercises successfully to help the needy in the country.

?What occurred here during the annual Christmas items distribution was never as a result of negligence. Previous years of distribution took place seamlessly in all the many Catholic parishes in the FCT.

?However, the distribution at Holy Trinity Maitama in 2024, witnessed an unprecedented turnout of about 5,000 needy and vulnerable individuals, certainly, due to the heightened economic hardship affecting many families in the country.

?The large crowd outside the church premises created pressure and panic. This led to a struggle as individuals scrambled to gain entry through the church gate which resulted in fatalities and injuries. No one should be allowed to die a needless death just struggling for what to eat,? he said.

On measures taken, he said when the sad incident occurred, immediate actions were taken by the church, including the immediate suspension of the distribution of items to prevent further chaos, while the deceased were transported to the mortuary and injured individuals promptly provided medical care.

?The Parish Priest, the President of St. Vincent de Paul, Maitama, and the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the parish were taken by the police for questioning but released hours later.

?A letter was issued by the Archbishop of Abuja (Kaigama) to commiserate with the affected families, praying for the eternal repose of those who lost their lives and healing for the injured.

?Those families affected have been visited to express our condolences and to assure them of our spiritual and moral support, and our continued closeness. While we mourn the loss of lives, we remain steadfast in our commitment to serve the poor and vulnerable and we will work to ensure such incidents are avoided in the future.

?Poverty robs people of their dignity. Our individual actions and political decisions must be geared towards the good of the poor. May 2025 move Nigeria closer to peace and prosperity,? Kaigama said. (Daily Trust)

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