- Catholic Church clarifies stampede cause: The Catholic Church stated that the recent food stampede at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja was not caused by negligence.
- 10 deaths, 11 injuries: The stampede resulted in 10 deaths and 11 injuries.
- Overwhelming crowd: A crowd of about 5,000 people, driven by economic hardship, overwhelmed the Church’s charity work, leading to panic and chaos.
- Need for better crowd control: The Archbishop emphasized the need for better crowd control measures, such as pre-registration, to prevent similar tragedies.
- Church’s commitment to assisting the vulnerable: The Church remains committed to assisting the vulnerable and expressed hope for improved systems to support charitable efforts.
The Catholic Church has clarified that the recent food stampede at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja, which resulted in 10 deaths and 11 injuries, was not caused by negligence. Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, made this statement during a Remembrance Mass for the victims. He explained that the Church’s charity work, including food distribution, was overwhelmed by a crowd of about 5,000 people driven by economic hardship, leading to panic and chaos .
The Archbishop emphasized the need for better crowd control measures, such as pre-registration, to prevent similar tragedies. He also highlighted the Church’s continued commitment to assisting the vulnerable and expressed hope for improved systems to support charitable efforts. Kaigama called for a stronger partnership between the Church and government to address the pressing needs of the poor, particularly in food distribution and healthcare .
The incident occurred on December 21 during a food distribution event organized by the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The society’s president attributed the stampede to the level of hunger in the country, emphasizing that the Church had sufficient food to distribute .
