On Saturday, 31 people passed away in a stampede at the site of an outreach program organised by a church in Port Harcourt.
The stampede at the event organised by Kings Assembly Pentecostal church involved people who came to the church’s annual “Shop for Free” charity program, according to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.
Saturday’s charity program was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko said. Somehow the locked gate was broken open, creating a stampede, she said.
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It was reported that the stampede happened as the individuals who had gathered fought to force their way inside the stadium.
In a statement signed by its Director of Administration, Chimeka Elem, it reads,
“The purpose of this non-denominational event was to share with the less privileged the gifts provided by our members, friends and partners.
“Unfortunately, lives were lost and several people sustained varying degrees of injury.
“Our medical team has been working with medical volunteers and the military hospital in Port Harcourt to provide emergency medical services to those affected in this incident.
“While the incident has been reported to the Nigeria Police Force, the church has commissioned a team of safety specialists to establish the immediate causes of the stampede to enable us to provide the authorities all required information in compliance with public safety laws.
“The King’s Assembly is a safety-conscious organisation and will always take the safety of our congregation seriously.
“Our Shop-for-Free programme was started in 2014 as our annual benevolence outreach, and our choice of the large venue, Polo Club, was to accommodate the projected attendance.
“This year’s turnout, build-up and the attendant circumstances were absolutely unanticipated.
“The crowd converged overnight long before the security teams for the event took formation.
“We are reviewing our public safety protocol and advance crowd management procedures to persistently ensure that our events are safe.”
According to a source, “The pastor did not even preach. He, like the rest of us, is grieving over what happened for the good works the church had set out to do, touching lives.
“We just prayed, did some singing and a minute of silence was observed in memory of the victims and we closed.”
Due to the incident, The Port Harcourt Polo Club, venue of the stampede, was under lock and key.
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