A stampede at a church charity event in southern Nigeria’s Port Harcourt city killed more than 30 people on Saturday, according to officials.
The annual “Shop For Free” event was organized by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal Church in Rivers State to help the millions of Nigerians who live in poverty.
The incident happened when hundreds of people, who had turned up to receive food, broke through a small gate behind the church, causing the stampede.
At least 31 people, including children, were killed and seven others were injured, according to police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko.
“People were there earlier and some got impatient and started rushing, which led to stampeding. The police are on the ground monitoring the situation while the investigation is ongoing,” Iringe-Koko told Reuters.
Meanwhile, “witnesses say the number could be higher than the official figure given by police,” said Al Jazeera’s Fidelis Mbah.
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“A similar incident also happened in December 2020 after a business organization tried to give out donations to poor people in Port Harcourt,” Mbah said.
“About eight people were killed in that incident. The government has called for an investigation to find out whether adequate security measures were put in place to ensure such incidents do not happen again,” he added.
Despite being Africa’s largest economy, and the continent’s largest petroleum producer, Nigeria still relies on charity events to feed and dress the poor who account for over 35 percent of its total population.
The situation is deteriorating as the cost of fuel and food has been rising in recent months due to the Ukraine crisis.
