Uchenna Nwaudo, the husband of one of the victims of the stampede that occurred on Saturday in Okija, Anambra State, has grieved the death of his wife in the incident, claiming that he had warned her not to attend the programme, but she did not hid to his advice.
A stampede at the gate of a charity event at the Obijackson Centre in the Amanranta part of the town killed at least 22 people.
The victims, primarily middle-aged women, the elderly, and children, were stampeded as they attempted to gain entry at the gate amid a large crowd.
According to reports, the centre hosted the distribution of 25kg bags of rice palliatives, which included vegetable oil and cash.
Speaking to our correspondent on Sunday, Nwaudo lamented the loss of his wife in the incident, saying, “I am from Umuohi village in Okija. On the fateful day, I had warned my wife not to go to the rice-sharing venue because of our little baby who was not feeling fine. I asked my wife not to attend the event to look after the boy.
“But I was at the place of my business at Ihiala junction when I was called to rush to Amaranta, venue of the palliatives sharing, that there was a heavy stampede and my wife was trampled upon and that she had just slumped on the floor. I expressed surprise as I had already warned her not to attend.
“But when I got there, to my surprise, I met her lifeless body and my baby still strapped on her back while everywhere was rowdy and everybody scampering to safety. I looked and observed that the baby was still alive. What I did was remove the baby from her back and leave the scene.”
He stated that he could not even carry her lifeless body as everywhere was still very rowdy noting that it was by the grace of God that he managed to escape the scene. “Even my mobile phone and her handbag were nowhere to be found,” he added.
“It was later that I learnt that the lifeless body was taken to the mortuary by the ambulance provided by the organisers of the event. I went to the mortuary at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala, to see the lifeless body. I have consulted with members of the family, and we are making arrangements to go and pick up the corpse for proper burial.
“It was an unfortunate situation. I won’t blame the organisers of the event, because it is a gesture they have been doing over the years as a way of helping the members of the community to put a smile on their faces during Yuletide. But this one turned out to be like this.
“It was impatience on the part of the people and poor crowd control that contributed to the incident. I learnt that the security operatives battled to control the surging crowd that forced entry into the premises.
Our correspondent, who also visited the scene, noticed that many of the victims’ shoes, slippers, handbags, and other things remained littered on the floor in front of the gate.
A relative of one of the victims, Uju Udoka, said, “I lost a sister, who was a nursing mother, to the incident. She left her baby to quickly go and share the palliatives. Unfortunately, she ended up not coming back home. It is something that the community has been benefiting from the foundation every year. It’s unfortunate that this year’s edition turned out to be like this due to impatience.
“Some people were fortunate to enter the venue without any problem, and they benefitted from the rice shared. Despite what happened, some people still benefitted.”
According to an eyewitness, Nnamdi Uzor, those who fell were brought to local hospitals, and those who were confirmed dead were deposited at the mortuary, adding that two mortuaries were full and stopped receiving new remains.
Uzor said, “The stampede occurred in the morning of the sharing as the gate of the arena was about to be opened because many struggled to gain entrance.
“Many people, particularly the aged and children, were trampled upon, and many collapsed and critically injured, while some died before being rushed to the hospital.
“I saw a woman who lay lifeless on the floor with her baby strapped on her back. Fortunately, the child was still alive, but when the husband came, he picked the child from the back of his wife and immediately left the scene.”
One of the survivors receiving treatment at the hospital visited, who identified herself simply as Ngozi, said, “I thank God that I survived the situation.
“I cannot tell what happened; all I can remember was that there were too many people at the entrance of the venue, and as the security people were about to open the gate, people started rushing and pushing one another.
“And when the gate was eventually opened, people started running, and in the process, so many people fell, and as a result, people coming behind started trampling upon one another.
“Someone pushed me, and I also fell to the floor. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a heavy load on my body as so many people fell on me.
“As people were falling on me, I was gasping for breath and shouting; other people in similar circumstances were also shouting. There was noise everywhere. I urinated on my body. It was not a palatable experience; it was as if a trailer of containers fell on me.
“I became unconscious, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself at the hospital. I don’t know how I managed to survive. I give God the glory.
“I lost my mobile set and my handbag containing some money in the process, but that is not my concern now as I am happy to be alive.
“What happened was not the fault of the organisers. People were just impatient, and in the process, it led to what happened.”
