A relative of one of the victims, Uju Udoka, shared a heartbreaking account, saying, “I lost a sister, who was a nursing mother to the incident. She left her baby to quickly go and share the palliatives. Unfortunately, she ended up not coming back home. It is something that the community has been benefiting from the foundation every year. It’s unfortunate that this year’s edition turned out to be like this due to impatience.”
“Some people were fortunate to enter the venue without any problem and they benefitted from the rice shared. Despite what happened, some people still benefitted,” she added.
An eyewitness, Nnamdi Uzor, described the tragic scene, stating, “The stampede occurred in the morning of the sharing as the gate of the arena was about to be opened because many struggled to gain entrance. Many people, particularly the aged and children, were trampled upon and many collapsed and critically injured while some died before being rushed to the hospital.”
Uzor continued, “I saw a woman that lay lifeless on the floor with her baby strapped on her back. Fortunately, the child was still alive, but when the husband came, he picked the child from the back of his wife and immediately left the scene.”
A survivor, identified as Ngozi, recounted her experience, saying, “I thank God that I survived the situation. I cannot tell what happened, all I can remember was that there were too many people at the entrance of the venue and as the security people were about to open the gate, people started rushing and pushing one another.”
“And when the gate was eventually opened, people started running and in the process, so many people fell and as a result, people coming behind started trampling upon one another. Someone pushed me, and I also fell to the floor. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a heavy load on my body as so many people fell on me.”
“As people were falling on me, I was gasping for breath and shouting, other people in similar circumstances were also shouting. There was noise everywhere. I urinated on my body. It was not a palatable experience, it was as if a trailer of container fell on me.”
“I became unconscious and when I opened my eyes, I found myself at the hospital. I don’t know how I managed to survive. I give God the glory. I lost my mobile set and my handbag containing some money in the process, but that is not my concern now as I am happy to be alive.”
“What happened was not the fault of the organisers. People were just impatient and in the process, it led to what happened,” she explained.
The President-General of the Okija Progressives Union, Dr. Paul Isioma Ohaguim, also commented on the tragedy, describing it as “very unfortunate.” He added that the community was shocked by the news, saying, “The actual casualty figure has not been ascertained, saying the information so far gathered had different figures.”
