Following the stampede tragedy that occurred on December 22 in Maitama, Abuja, scores lost their lives as palliatives were being shared. The FCT Police force has arrested the parish priest and officials of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja.
Eyewitnesses said there was a huge crowd of people from nearby regions such as Mpape and Gishiri that had gathered at the church hours before the event started.
Josephine Adeh, FCT Police Spokesperson, said, “How can you organise an event of that magnitude without notifying the police? Ten lives, including children, were lost, and many others were injured. Doesn’t this warrant arrest?”
However, Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, condemned the arrests in a Christmas message titled “Christmas: A Season of Hope and Renewal.” He described the police action as “uninspiring, unfriendly, and a misplaced zeal.”
He further added, “It is, to say the least, counterproductive and lacking empathy. One wonders what purpose these arrests were meant to serve.”
The stampede in Abuja follows similar situations in Ibadan and Anambra; the organizers have also been arrested. 60 people lost their lives altogether in these stampedes.
The president of Nigeria called it “a grave error on the part of the organisers.”
Abdulrahman Mohammed, Acting Director of the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), announced that all injured victims from the Abuja stampede have been discharged from the hospital.
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