Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike has directed government hospitals to provide free treatment to the people that sustained injuries during a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja.
Wike gave the directive in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, in Abuja on Saturday.
No fewer than 10 people including children lost their lives while 10 others sustained injuries to the stampede, during the distribution of food items to less privileged and the elderly by the church.
The sad incident occurred around 6:30 a.m on Saturday.
Wike said that the FCT Administration would ensure that the injured received adequate medical attention.
The minister, who commiserated with the victims, also directed that henceforth, police permission should be obtained by individuals or organizations planning public distribution of palliatives, either food items or cash.
Describing the incident as “painful”, Wike prayed for the repose of the souls of the lives that were lost and fortitude for their families to bear the irreparable loss.
He commended the Police and other security agencies for their prompt intervention, saying, “the promptness in which security agencies responded to the incident was commendable.”
In a related development, the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), equally commiserated with the victims of the stampede.
The acting Director General of the department, Mr Abdulrahman Mohammed, in a statement said that nine out of the 10 injured persons earlier taken to Maitama District Hospital, have been treated and discharged.
Mohammed also appealed to organisations that intended to give out food items to the less privileged to involve security agencies or FEMD for adequate planning to ensure safety of beneficiaries.
He also advised the use of coupons and segregation of the beneficiaries into groups to avoid crowd and rowdiness that could lead to stampedes.
Similarly, the Police Command in the FCT has ordered organisations, religious bodies, groups, or individuals to notify the police when planning public events, charitable activities, or large gatherings in the territory.
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, said that the notification was to enable the police to deploy adequate security measures for public safety.
According to her, failure to comply with the directive will result in the organisers being held liable for any incident or loss of life resulting from negligence
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has issued a warning against the unorganised distribution of palliatives and funfairs, which have led to stampedes and fatalities among vulnerable citizens.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, gave the warning during a media briefing on Saturday in Abuja.
Adejobi explained that the warning came in response to the increasing number of stampedes resulting in injuries and deaths, particularly during palliative distributions.