31 dead in church fair stampede in southern Nigeria: Police
Abuja, May 28: A stampede Saturday at a church charity sale in southern Nigeria left 31 people dead, police said, a shocking development at an event that organisers said aimed to "offer hope" to the needy.
The stampede at the programme organised by the Kings Assembly pentecostal church in Rivers state involved many people who were seeking assistance, according to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokesperson in the state.
Many of the victims came to benefit from an annual Shop for Free charity programme organised by the church. Such events are common in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, where more than 80 million people live in poverty, according to government statistics.
Saturday's charity programme was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko told The Associated Press.
Somehow they broke open the locked gate, she said, noting that in addition to the deaths, seven other people were injured but responding to treatment.
Videos from the scene showed the clothing and shoes meant for the beneficiaries. Doctors and emergency workers treated some of the injured as they lay in the open field.
The Shop for Free event was suspended while authorities investigated how the stampede occurred.
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Mangaluru: Bajpe police arrests young man for alleged derogatory posts against police
Bajpe: Police have arrested a youth for allegedly posting derogatory and defamatory content against the Bajpe police on social media.
The arrested accused has been identified as Abhishek M. (23), a resident of Katipalla, Surathkal.
According to the police, Abhishek posted a photograph of Bajpe Nisarga Hotel on his Instagram account mr_a_titude_22, alleging that accused persons in a murder case under the jurisdiction of the Bajpe police station were being treated “like royalty” by the police and were being served beef meals from the hotel every day. In his post, he further accused the police of colluding with criminals and misusing their authority, stating that public trust in the police was being betrayed.
Following which, the Bajpe police registered a case and arrested the accused.
Police records reveal that Abhishek is already facing multiple criminal cases. A case of murder, attempt to murder, assault and robbery has been registered against him at the Surathkal police station. At the same time, a robbery case has also been registered at the Kaup police station.
After his arrest, Abhishek was handed over to the custody of the CEN police for further investigation. He was later produced before a court, police said.
