Published 25th Mar, 2024

At least seven women have been killed in a stampede while trying to get N10,000 Ramadan palliative in Bauchi State.

FIJ gathered that the palliative was distributed by Yakubu Maishanu Shafa, a philanthropist and owner of AYM Shafa Energy, at his head office on Bauchi-Jos Road in the state.

Sources told FIJ that the philanthropist often gave annual gifts to residents of the community in the form of Zakat.

They stated that the incident happened around 10 am, although residents had gathered at Shafa’s office as early as 6 am to receive the cash gift.

Meanwhile, another resident of the community said over 14 people died in the incident.

“I was at the cemetery up until 6 pm yesterday, and I counted about 18 dead bodies. Out of the 18, only four of them were not directly linked to the stampede,” he said.

FIJ called Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, the public relations officer of the Bauchi State Police Command, who confirmed the deaths. He said that the number of dead victims was four as of Sunday but had risen to seven by Monday morning.

“Initially, we reported that four people died yesterday, with one injured person, Naheema Abdullahi, a 17-year-old, who was receiving treatment. But today, we received news from the teaching hospital that two other persons, including her, had died, bringing the number to six,” Wakil told FIJ.

“However, the commissioner of police has directed a discreet investigation into the matter, through which we’ve been able to trace another person who didn’t go to the hospital and was not confirmed dead by the doctors.

“Six were confirmed dead by the doctor, and another one from outside.”

He also added that all of the victims killed as a result of the stampede were women.

On Friday, FIJ reported how five students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, were killed in a stampede on the school premises while trying to get bags of rice sent as palliatives by the state governor.

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