You will be prosecuted for throwing cash at crowd causing stampedes, deaths
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Abia Governor Alex Otti has cautioned organisers of events and programmes that attract large crowds to ensure all necessary safety measures are in place to prevent stampedes and deaths that have occurred North and South within the last one week.
He warned against unethical practices, such as spraying or throwing money or gift items into a crowd because of their potential to cause chaos and stampedes.
“Organisers of any event requiring a large crowd of people should liaise with the Abia State Homeland Security or local government authorities for the necessary guidance and support to ensure the safety of attendees,” Otti said.
He vowed to take strict action against any individual or group that disregards the directive.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN amplified the concern on Sunday when he lamented the death of more than 105 people in stampedes over food and cash handouts across states, attributing the tragedies to “poverty-induced neoliberal economic policies” and “criminal negligence” of the government and event organisers.
He announced plans to rally lawyers to file civil lawsuits against organisers of such events that cost lives.
Stampedes in Oyo, Abuja, and Anambra led to the deaths in recent days, although that of Oyo occurred in a children’s funfair.
In Ondo, the government has issues directives to event organisers to head off such disasters and warned it would prosecute those who fail to follow the rules.
Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), detailed the incidents and called for justice in a statement released on Sunday.
“These tragic events are a national shame. The victims were not just statistics but human beings driven to desperation by systemic poverty and the gross incompetence of those entrusted with their safety,” he stressed.
The latest of the tragedies occurred on December 21 in Okija, Anambra where 12 people died and 32 others were injured when hungry folks scrambled for rice distributed by a philanthropist.
The same day, up North, a stampede at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, Abuja, claimed 10 lives, including children, as more than 3,000 people jostled for food palliatives.
Two days earlier, on December 19, some 35 children were crushed to death at a Christmas funfair in Ibadan.
Falana said: “The loss of these innocent lives is heart-wrenching. It underscores the indignity that poverty imposes on our people.”
Read also:
Ondo issues rules to event organisers to stave off stampedes and deaths
