At least 31 persons have been confirmed dead in a stampede at a programme organised by a Pentecostal church, Kings Assembly, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the casualty figure.
Members of the public were said to have been invited to the programme to get gift items including food.
Some of the beneficiaries arrived yesterday while others arrived as early as 6am at the gate of Polo club which was already flooded with people.
However, at about 8am, some sports men arrived and opened the small entrance to have their training session, only for the crowd to see it as an opportunity to access the tent that was mounted by the church for the program.
The stampede occurred when the large crowd attempted to push through the small entrance.
A similar incident in December 2020 also claimed some lives when a crowd gathered for a Christmas palliative organized by an online sales platform in Port Harcourt.
