The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested the parish priest and officials of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja .
The arrest followed a stampede that claimed at least 10 lives during a grocery distribution event by the church on Saturday, December 22.
The tragedy occurred in the church’s car park when a crowd surge overwhelmed the distribution process.
Witnesses said over 3,000 people, including residents from nearby settlements such as Mpape and Gishiri, gathered at the church as early as 4 a.m., hours before the event was scheduled to begin.
The arrests were confirmed on Wednesday, December 25, by the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, who attributed the fatalities to negligence by the event’s organisers.
“How can you organise an event of that magnitude without notifying the police? Ten lives, including children, were lost, and many others were injured. Doesn’t this warrant arrest?” Adeh said.
She did not confirm if the parish priest was among those detained, stating that only individuals directly involved in organising the event were apprehended.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, condemned the arrests in a Christmas message titled “Christmas: A Season of Hope and Renewal.” He described the police action as “uninspiring, unfriendly, and a misplaced zeal.”
“It is, to say the least, counterproductive and lacking empathy. One wonders what purpose these arrests were meant to serve,” Kaigama said, urging authorities to assist the church in recovering from the trauma rather than threatening prosecution.
President Bola Tinubu also weighed in on the incident, blaming poor planning by organisers for the fatal stampedes in Abuja, Oyo, and Anambra, which collectively claimed over 60 lives. During a presidential media chat on Monday, he called the incidents “a grave error on the part of the organisers.”
Abdulrahman Mohammed, Acting Director of the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), announced that all injured victims from the Abuja stampede have been discharged from the hospital.
In response to the tragedies, the FCT Police Command issued new guidelines for organisers of large gatherings to prevent a recurrence.
