Yuletide 2025: Mass impoverishment, What a season!
Tragically, many lives were lost in two incidents in Okija, Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on December 21. The deaths were even more tragic because they happened as a result of stampedes for food. Those who died had gone to where they died because they needed food for sustenance.
The event at the Amaranta Stadium, Okija, was held to distribute rice to attendees. Hundreds of people were reported to have arrived at the venue as early as 5am. Many of them were women and children. This was an indication of the level of hunger in the land. The crowd swelled as the minutes ticked by.
When the organisers of the event, the Obijackson Foundation, began sharing the rice, according to a report, “the crowd became uncontrollable…In the ensuing pushing and shoving, some of the vulnerable in the crowd lost their balance, fell down and were trampled upon by the others.” At least 37 people were said to have died. Some said there were about 47 fatalities. “The tragedy has cast a shadow over what is usually a joyous season in Okija,” the Obijackson Foundation said in a statement.
In Abuja, the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama had planned to distribute food items, and more than 3,000 people, “mostly from Mpape, Gishiri Village, and other nearby settlements,” were said to have turned up for their share, “some as early as 4am.” By 7am, the crowd became uncontrollable, with people “pushing and shoving one another.” The weak ones “easily went to the ground and were crushed to death,” according to a report. An eyewitness was quoted as saying at least seven of the victims were children. The Anambra State Police Command said 22 people died in the stampede.
Nigeria Police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a statement said the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, “has called on government officials, community leaders, and non-governmental organisations to work collaboratively towards establishing a comprehensive and organised framework for distributing palliatives.” The IGP also ordered the police commissioners of the affected states to carry out thorough investigations into “these ugly incidents.”
For the organisers of the events that caused the deaths and those who lost their lives, the festive season became a season of destructive stampedes and lifelessness.
Indeed, the incidents call for improved and safe methods of distributing so-called palliatives. But more importantly, they also highlight the issue of mass impoverishment, which explains why so many Nigerians need “palliatives.”
