Yesterday, two elderly women were reportedly killed during a violent struggle for Ramadan gifts distributed on behalf of a former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
According to PUNCH, there was a commotion yesterday at the stadium when the Iyaloja General of Nigeria and Tinubu’s daughter, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo shared some gift packs for the Ramadan which included a package of rice, salt, noodles, sugar and a sum of N1,500 to several people
An eyewitness, Musbau Adeyanju, claimed that during the distribution, some people became impatient and worried that the items won’t get to them; this was when the stampede occurred, killing the two women in the process.
“Their bodies were laid under a tent, while an ambulance that would carry them was being awaited. It was when the clothes that were used to cover their faces were removed that I discovered they were elderly women” said the witness.
A couple of other people who were also said to have been injured during the stampede, were rushed to the Marina General Hospital while the corpses of the deceased women were deposited at the hospital’s morgue.
An emergency official, who spoke to a correspondent of PUNCH on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed that there were casualties during the rush but didn’t give any information about fatalities.
However, the General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Michael Akindele, has denied knowledge of the deaths. “LASEMA did not get any report of such,” he said.
On the other hand, the Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, stated that there were no deaths recorded. “It was only a man who collapsed during the distribution who was immediately treated before taken to the general hospital” she said.
