At least 13 people, including four children, have been killed in two incidents in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothing distributed at annual Christmas events, police say.

In the capital, Abuja, at least 10 people died on Saturday and many more were injured in a scramble to receive gifts of charity being distributed by the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama district.

“This unfortunate event, which took place around 6:30am [05:30 GMT], resulted in a stampede that claimed the lives of 10 individuals, including four children, and left eight others with varying degrees of injuries,” said Josephine Adeh, a police spokesperson.

In a separate incident in Okija in Anambra State in southern Nigeria, three people were killed in a crush at a charity event organised by a philanthropist, state police said.

“The event had not even started when the rush began,” police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths recorded as officers investigate, he said.

In both incidents, the victims were mostly women and children who were trampled as crowds tried to reach the provisions being offered.

Advertisement

A statement from President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman said the president had cancelled all his official events in Lagos on Saturday “in honour of the stampede victims”.

“In a season of joy and celebration, we grieve with fellow citizens mourning the painful losses of their loved ones. Our prayers of divine comfort and healing are with them,” Tinubu said.

On Thursday, at least 32 people died in a similar incident at an Islamic high school in Ibadan, the capital of southwestern Nigeria’s Oyo State.

Africa’s most populous country is enduring its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades as reforms introduced by Tinubu have slashed subsidies for electricity and fuel while a devaluation has eroded the value of its currency.

Inflation in November rose to 34.6 percent in annual terms from 33.88 percent in October, marking a third consecutive monthly rise.

Amnesty International Nigeria in a statement on Saturday said that for many Nigerians, “having ordinary rice at home is turning into a luxury.”

The United Kingdom-based human rights group urged authorities to promptly, thoroughly, independently and transparently investigate how these charity events descended into disaster.