Authorities from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have taken into custody the parish priest and several officials of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja in connection with a tragic stampede that occurred in the Nigerian capital.
The police are investigating this incident and two similar events in Anambra and Oyo states. The stampede in Abuja, which happened during a grocery distribution event for the needy in the church’s car park on Saturday, resulted in the deaths of at least 10 individuals.
A Catholic priest first disclosed the news of the arrests on Wednesday before official police confirmation. In response, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of the Abuja Diocese released a Christmas message titled “Christmas: A Season of Hope and Renewal,” condemning the arrests. He described the actions as counterproductive and lacking compassion, questioning the intent behind such measures.
Kaigama urged government officials to support the church and those affected by the tragedy instead of threatening legal action.
Josephine Adeh, a spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, confirmed the arrests, citing negligence on the part of the event organisers. “How can you host an event of this scale without notifying the police? Ten lives, including those of children, were lost, and many others were injured. Doesn’t this warrant arrest?” she questioned.
When asked if the priest was among those detained, Adeh stated, “I cannot confirm if a priest was arrested unless he was directly involved in organising the event.”
President Bola Tinubu also weighed in on the matter, blaming the event organisers in Abuja, Oyo, and Anambra during his first presidential media briefing. He stated that the tragedies stemmed from poor planning by those in charge. “This is a grave error on the part of the organisers,” he remarked.
In total, over 60 individuals, including children, have lost their lives across the three incidents.
Witnesses to the Abuja stampede reported a surge of people at one of the church’s gates as crowds attempted to enter the premises around 4 a.m., hours before the distribution began. A survivor, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that the chaos ensued when many attendees refused to form a line for the distribution.
A security official from the parish noted that more than 3,000 people, primarily from nearby areas such as Mpape and Gishiri, had gathered for the event. In addition to the fatalities, many others sustained injuries during the stampede.
On Monday, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Acting Director of the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), informed reporters that all individuals injured in the incident had since been discharged from the hospital. In light of these events, the police have implemented new guidelines for organisers of large gatherings.