TheCable

About nine persons are believed to have died during a stampede that occurred at the residence of Aliyu Wamakko, former governor of Sokoto.

The stampede occurred on Thursday night as residents struggled for palliatives being shared at the home of the lawmaker in the Gawon Nama area of Sokoto.

Many others were also said to have sustained injuries.

TheCable understands that a volunteer operative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was among those who died in the incident.

Those who got injured during the incident were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Ahmed Rufai, spokesperson of the Sokoto police command, told TheCable on Sunday that an investigation has commenced into the incident.

Rufai said he cannot ascertain the exact figure of the casualty toll.

Wamakko is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Sokoto north district at the senate.

SOKOTO PDP CALLS FOR PROBE

In a statement released by Hassan Sanyinnawal, spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Congress (PDP) in Sokoto, the party asked security operatives to investigate the incident.

The PDP condemned the distribution of palliatives to residents, saying that the people deserve “genuine dividends of democracy”.

“We wish to express deep sadness over the incident and extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the no fewer than 10 people, who passed away while praying for the recovery of victims, who sustained injuries at the scene of the regrettable occurrence,” the statement reads.

“The PDP however, wishes to call on security agencies to launch a thorough investigation into the matter, with a view to forestalling the ugly incident in the future.

“This is not the first time it is happening at the same place, due to poor arrangements, without regard to the safety of human lives.

“Our party believes that the people deserve genuine dividends of democracy, that will take them out of poverty, rather than the occasional spray of cash on the street and dehumanising exercise of sharing out cheap items, at the cost of their safety.”

The incident adds to the growing list of stampedes in the country over the last few months.

On March 22, three students of Nasarawa State University in Keffi (NSUK) were killed in a stampede that occurred during the distribution of rice donated by the state government.

Some days later, about seven people died in a stampede that occurred during the distribution of zakat (almsgiving exercise) to residents of Bauchi state.