Ilorin Sallah Stampede: Death Toll Rises to 20

Date: 2013-10-18

The number of people who died in the Wednesday night stampede in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, may have risen to 20.

THISDAY checks revealed that among the dead were three pregnant women.
Many of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, who had queued up in the late Dr. Olusola Saraki's Government Reservation Area (GRA) residence, were said to have been trampled to death.

The victims, said to be predominantly women, were taking turns to collect their Sallah gifts, which resulted in the   stampede.

But the PDP Wednesday had claimed only four people died in the incident.
Similar incidents happened in 2010 and 2011 at the Mandate House which serves as one of the campaign offices of PDP where scores of people lost their lives in similar circumstances.

Sources told journalists in Ilorin Thursday that corpses of the victims in the current incident were deposited at the state government-owned Sobi Specialist Hospital, while the injured are recuperating at the state Civil Service Clinic, a shouting distance from the scene of the incident.

When contacted yesterday on the incident, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, Dr. Stephen Arigidi, refused to comment on the matter. Instead, he referred reporters to the State Commissioner for Health, Kayode Issa.

When THISDAY visited one of the wards in the Civil Service Clinic, no fewer than eight of the victims who sustained different degrees of injuries were receiving treatment.

However, THISDAY visited Ile Onibon, Ilorin, the home of one of the dead, where one of the deceased's in-laws identified as Abdullahi, said Alhaja (as the deceased was called) was close to 64 years and an ardent supporter of the PDP.
He said: "The family has taken it as an act of God because we are Muslims as people will die one day and it could have been anywhere and under any circumstance."

Abdullahi said: "If it was in other places, people will be talking of other things, but as a Muslim, the family has accepted it as the will of God."

Also at Ile Atatalo, where two of the dead came from, nobody was prepared to speak with the press, stating, "The incident will not bring back the deceased."
Reacting to the incident, Senator Bukola Saraki expressed his sadness over the stampede that happened in Ilorin Wednesday night.

In a statement issued in Ilorin yesterday by his Special Assistant, Media and Advocacy, Saraki said it was painful to have lost the victims.
According to him, "I am deeply saddened to receive the news about the loss of some of our party members who were stampeded after the Sallah festivities at the charity house."

He said: "Our party's strength resides solely in the support from party faithful which gives us huge confidence always; it's very painful to have lost these party faithful.

"I commiserate with the families of the deceased and pray that Allah grant us the strength to bear the loss, and for those responding to treatment, I wish them speedy recovery."

Saraki said all other activities scheduled at Charity House had been suspended till further notice as a mark of respect for the departed.

Source

 


Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Chief Imam Of Ilorin     Funmilayo Mohammed     Tanke Road     Jaigbade Alao     Ilorin South     Kwara Liberation Group     Rafiu Ibrahim     Share     James Ayeni     Oba Abdulkadir La\'aro     Akande Idowu Ayoola Muhammed     Ballah     Ayoade Akinnibosun     Issa Oloruntogun     BECE     Share/Tsaragi     Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq     Yomi Ogunsola     Chief Imam Of Offa     Musa Ayinla Yeketi     Onilorin     Bashiru Makama     Abdulmumini Sanni Jawondo     Adisa Logun     Yusuf Abdulwahab     Anilelerin     Abdulmajeed Wahab     Egbejila     Aliyu Alhassan     Abdulwaheed Musa     Kwara University Of Education     Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan     Obayomi Azeez     Kemi Adeosun     Muhammadu Gobir     Principal Private Secretary     Abdullahi Saadudeen Alikinla     Obuh     Ahmed Shuaib Buranga     Olabode Towoju     Abdulraufu Mustapha     Plat Technologies     Sardauna     N-Power     Isiaq Khadeejah     Bolakale Ayo     Vasolar-Kwara Company Ltd     Share-Tsaragi     Asiwaju Bola Tinubu     Muhammed Aliyu     Haliru Yahaya     Shonga     Ibraheem Adeola Katibi     Kunle Suleiman     UTME     Kwara United     BIR     S.O. Opowoye     AbdulGafar Tosho     Kayode Zubair     Olatunji Ibrahim     Wahab Abayawo     Oniye     Micheal Imodu-Ganmo Road     Olupako Of Share     Olaitan Adefila     Hassan Oyeleke     Olusegun Adeniyi     Ministry Of Women Affairs And Social Development     Tunji Moronfoye     Tosho Yaqub     United Nigeria Congress Party     Susan Modupe Oluwole     Ike Ekweremadu     Muhammadu Buhari     Imam Gambari     Timothy Akangbe    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

FERMA     National Association Of Nigerian Students     Okin Malt     Abdulwahab Olarewaju Issa     CCB     Deji Ajani     Okoolowo     Ajase-Ipo     Ridwan Agboola     Gurei     Tunde Oyawoye     Temitope Ogunbanke     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Buhari     Basic Education Certificate Examination     Riskat Opakunle     Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq     Senate Presidency     Bashiru Makama     Tanke Flyover Bridge     Shuaib Abdulkadir     Kazeem Gbolagade     Shehu Salau     Makama     Aliyu Kora Sabi     Joseph Daudu     John Obuh     Offa Descendants Union     Usman Alkali Baba     Yahaya Abdulkareem     Mohammed Ghali Alaaya     Vasolar-Kwara Company Ltd     Federal Allocation     Olaitan Adefila     Susan Modupe Oluwole     Kwara Politics     Mohammed Ibrahim     Olatunde Jare     Isiaka AbdulRazaq     Moshood Mustapha     Kayode Laro     Coalition Of Kwara North Groups     Abdulwahab Oba     Abdulmumini AbdulRazaq     Government High School (GHS), Adeta     Awwal Jawondo     MMWG     Ethical College     John Kehinde Salako     Lanre Issa Onilu     Nigerian Medical Association     Ibrahim Sulu Gambari     TESCOM     Abegunde Goke     Tunde Idiagbon Road     Assayomo     Offa Poly     Sunset Workers     New Nigeria People’s Party     MAI Akande     Ilorin Emirate Stakeholders Forum     David Oyerinola Adedunmoye     Suleiman Idris     Samuel Adaramola     Ile Arugbo     Olaiya Zuberu     Oniwasi Agbaye     Mukhtar Shagaya     Sanusi Abubakar     Ilorin Metro Park     Ahmed     Olukotun Of Ikotun     Shuaib Olarongbe     First Lady     IESA     Aliyu Alhassan     Code Of Conduct Bureau