Due to their involvement in a deadly stampede in the Nigerian capital, the parish priest and several members of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Abuja have been taken into custody by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command. According to police, they were looking into the stampede in Abuja and two others that occurred in Anambra and Oyo. On Saturday, at least ten people lost their lives while distributing groceries to the underprivileged in the parking lot of the Abuja church. Prior to the police confirming the arrest, a Catholic priest made the initial announcement on Wednesday.
Ignatius Kaigama, the Catholic Archbishop of the Abuja Diocese, announced and denounced the arrest of the church leaders in a Christmas message titled “Christmas: A Season of Hope and Renewal,” claiming it was ineffective and lacked compassion. “It is unpleasant, uninspired, and a misguided zeal, to put it mildly. Mr. Kaigama remarked, “One wonders what purpose these arrests were meant to serve.” Instead of threatening to prosecute, he encouraged authorities to help the church and organisers heal from the trauma. Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, confirmed the arrests on Wednesday, pointing to the organisers’ carelessness. “How is it possible to plan an event of such size without alerting the authorities? There were ten fatalities, including children, and numerous injuries. “She said”.
Ms. Adeh responded, “I cannot confirm if a priest was arrested, except if he was directly involved in the event’s organisation,” when asked if the priest was one of those held. Previously, President Bola Tinubu blamed the deadly stampedes on the organisers of the various celebrations in Abuja, Oyo, and Anambra. The president attributed the fatalities to the organisers’ inadequate planning during his first media appearance on Monday. “This is a grave error on the part of the organisers,” he stated. The three tragedies claimed the lives of more than 60 people, including children.
More than 3,000 people, primarily from neighbouring communities like Mpape and Gishiri, had arrived for the occasion, according to a parish security official. In addition to those who perished, the stampede injured a large number of others. Abdulrahman Mohammed, the Acting Director of the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), informed reporters in Abuja on Monday that everyone who was hurt in the event has been released from the hospital. The police released new instructions for large-scale gathering organisers in the wake of the occurrences.