The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has called for proper crowd management during distribution of charity to prevent stampedes and avoidable loss of lives.
Her appeal followed recent incidents of stampedes across the country, notably at Ibadan, Oyo State; Okija, Anambra State and Abuja.
At least ten persons died and others were injured at a charity event in Abuja. A similar incident happened in Anambra, leading to several deaths and injuries.
About thirty-five persons, mainly children, also died from a stampede in Ibadan, Oyo State earlier in the week.
Reacting to the spate of stampedes, Umar expressed concerns that such tragic outcomes undermine the goodwill behind charity events, turning acts of kindness into sources of grief due to poor planning and crowd control.
While sympathizing with the families of the deceased and those injured, she urged organizers of similar events to engage professionals and seek the support of security agencies to manage crowds effectively.
She emphasized the importance of ensuring safety during such activities to prevent recurring tragedies.
The Director General NEMA said all Zonal Territorial and Operations offices of the agency have been activated to respond to emergencies and provide supports to first responders in the area of traffic management due to the usual increase of traffics during the Yuletide and end of the year festivities.
