At least 22 dead in deadly crush for free food in Nigeria

In Nigeria, three tragic stampedes occurred within the span of a week, leading to at least 67 fatalities. On December 18, 2024, 35 children lost their lives during a holiday funfair in Basorun, a suburb of Ibadan, Oyo State. This incident was particularly devastating, highlighting safety lapses in managing large crowds at events designed for children's enjoyment. Shortly thereafter, two more stampedes happened on December 21, 2024. In Okija, Anambra State, 22 people perished during a charity event where food and supplies were distributed to vulnerable residents. Additionally, in the capital city of Abuja, 10 more individuals died while attempting to access food donations at a local church charity event. These events are symptomatic of a larger crisis in Nigeria, where increasing economic hardship has led to a surge in similar charity events meant to alleviate suffering. Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the government has faced criticism regarding inadequate crowd control measures at these events, which are intended to help the population cope with escalating poverty and hunger. The President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, expressed condolences to the victims' families and urged local authorities and police to enforce stricter crowd control protocols to prevent such tragedies from repeating. In light of these disturbing occurrences, police have advised that organizers must notify authorities before conducting charity events in order to safeguard attendees' lives. This troubling trend of deadly crowd surges must be confronted with better planning and effective strategies to deliver aid safely to those in need.