There were wailings and lamentations in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital when many women died in a stampede while receiving Sallah gifts from former Governor Bukola Saraki.

One of the victims of last Wednesday stampede during the distribution of Sallah gifts in Ilorin, whose name was given as Rasheedat Adua, a mother of four of Adua compound, Oke Suna Ilorin in Ilorin East Local Government Area of the state had gone to Charity House located at GRA with his last born, a two-year old boy cuddled in her arms as they began to share the Sallah gift  N,1000 and ankara fabric.

All of a sudden, there was rush, scramble and then stampede around 7 p.m on Wednesday night. Many collapsed; among them was the 30-year old Adua who unfortunately could not be resurrected. Her son was no where to be found and her close relative (name withheld) who went to receive the Sallah largesse with her was rudderless - first battling with Adua’s lifeless body and at the same time scouring for the son.

That was the situation at the PDP Charity House popularly called Ile-Arugbo in local parlance. For many indigenes of Ilorin and entire Kwara State, Ile Arugbo was synonymous with the late strongman of Kwara politics and Second Republic Senate Leader, Dr. Olusola Saraki. It is where aged women converge to receive gifts of all kind. For many decades, Saraki’s house has always been a Mecca of sort with women assembling anytime Baba as Saraki was fondly called was around.

With the death of Baba Saraki about a year ago, the former governor inherited the culture in an attempt to preserve the legacy of his father.

However, the good intention was blighted by the Wednesday night stampede where scores died. Of more concern to the people is the seeming frequency of the incidence. As it happened on Wednesday, it had happened in May, 2011 with scores of women dead and several others injured.

Apart from Rasheedat Adua, over 20 others lost their lives though the  PDP  claimed in a statement that only four people died. Although, authorities of the state-owned Sobi Specialist Hospital where corpses of the victims were deposited declined comment on the actual casualty figure, it was reliably gathered that over 20 people lost their lives to the stampede.

A source at the hospital morgue said he counted 15 corpses taken out from the morgue for burial while he saw another five outside. The injured were receiving treatment at the Civil Service Clinic, few meters to the Charity House as at the time of filing this report.

Among the dead as exclusively obtained by Weekly Trust were Rasheedat Adua, Ile Adua Oke Suna; Alhaja Aminat Ayodele, Balogun-Fulani, Ilorin; Ibitayo Abdullah, Osin Ita Elepa, Ilorin; Aminat Mojisola Abdulganiyu, Olodo compound Abayawo, Ilorin; and Afusat Muhammad of 31 Kudimoh Street, Ilorin.

Others were Abibat Musa of 215 Ologbin compound, Adeta; Afusat Soliu, 24, Onikere Compound Sabo line Oke; Mulikat Bolaji, Ile Sootan lane Adodo, Agbaji Compound; Miss Alimat of Atatalo Compound, Alore; Fatimoh Abdulkadir, Ile Muse compound, Ilorin; Nayimat Ismail, Alalubosa compound Kuntu area.

One of the aged women who lost her daughter to the incidence narrated the incidence to Weekly Trust on condition of anonymity even as she accepted the tragedy as an act of God.

The elderly woman who said she went to the Charity House with her deceased daughter attributed the stampede to scramble by the people to receive the clothing materials (ankara) being shared with N1,000.

“This is how Baba (referring to late Saraki) used to do when he was alive and everybody would get his/her own share of the largesse, but yesterday (Wednesday) when they started sharing the cloth and the money, people were rushing to get the items and that was how the stampede occurred,”  she explained.

The PDP statement signed by its Director of Publicity, Alhaji Mas’ud Adebimpe reads: “the Peoples Democratic Party, Kwara State Chapter held its annual Sallah celebration at the Charity House where many party faithful were in attendance.

“The event which is an annual activity of the party went smoothly until the unfortunate incident of a stampede, which led to some people fainting and immediately rushed to hospital few blocks from the venue.

“While some are currently responding positively to treatment, we however regret to announce that we lost four of our party members to the unfortunate development.

“Our prayers go out to the families of the deceased and we wish a quick recovery to those who are responding fast to treatment,” the statement.

Saraki in a statement yesterday commiserated with families of the victims, saying, “I’m 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.

“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.  All other activities scheduled at the Charity House have been suspended till further notice as a mark of respect to the departed.”

The stampede has, however, continued to spark outrage among residents and stakeholders in the state who called for probe into the immediate causes of the incidence. 

A member of Saraki’s inner caucus described the incidence at “too sad and too often”. On his part, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Iyiola Akogun, who also called for probe of the incidence, said it testified to the primitiveness of Kwara politics.

He said “this thing is becoming   regular. In 2011 and 2013, many women died in his house and one wonders why people should be dying annually.

“Besides, it shows the type of primitive politics we play. What is the type of primitive politics are we actually playing that will make women to be assembled en-masse at the leader’s house to collect stipend? Is that the kind of politics that is beneficial to the people or good for the era? It shows the level of primitiveness in our political awareness in the country”.

Also, the Kwara Change Initiative in a statement by its Organizing Secretary, Adewale Adefila said  “the ugly incident of October 16th, 2013 where scores of Nigerians lost their lives in a rather controversial manner at the Iloffa road, GRA residence of Dr. Bukola Saraki must be given the desired attention by relevant authorities going by the number of causalities and its frequency.

“We therefore call on the National Security Adviser to the President, the Chief of Staff to the President and Police Service Commission to  probe this heinous crime that the power bloc sought to keep under wrap. The perpetrators are not far-fetched. Since Kwara State government and Police have always looked the other way, we are compelled to seek help from the top,” the statement said.