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Many people were killed on Saturday during a stampede in Okija, a community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.
Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES that the victims had gone to take part in the sharing of bags of rice donated by a renowned entrepreneur, Ernest Obiejesi, popularly known as Obijackson.
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Video clips, recorded shortly after the incident, have gone viral on social media.
In one of the clips, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, several persons, mainly women, were lying lifeless on the ground.
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One of the witnesses and an indigene of the community, Nduka Eze, told PREMIUM TIMES that the incident occurred at about 6 a.m. on Saturday.
Mr Eze explained that some residents had circled at the gate of Mr Obiejesi’s residence since Friday ahead of the proposed sharing of the rice on Saturday.
He said while the residents were at the gate, some other residents arrived which resulted in the people pushing one another in order to enter the compound.
Mr Eze stressed that the sharing of the rice was slated to take place at 8 a.m. but the stampede happened at the gate around 6 a.m.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” he said.
Mr Eze said as of 12 noon, 19 people had been confirmed dead while many others were unconscious.
“Some corpses were taken to Our Lady’s Hospital, Okija. I went there too,” he said.
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Police speak
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said although some people were killed during the incident, the details were still sketchy.
The spokesperson said police operatives have been deployed in the area for proper investigation.
Like Ibadan, like Okija
The latest development occurred days after 35 people, mostly children, died during a stampede at a carnival in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria’s South-west.
