The husband of one of the victims of Saturday’s tragic stampede at Okija, Anambra State, Uchenna Nwaudo, has mourned the loss of his wife, revealing that he had advised her against attending the event, but she declined his counsel.
The stampede, which occurred at the entrance of the Obijackson Centre in the Amanranta area, claimed no fewer than 22 lives.
The victims, predominantly middle-aged women, the elderly, and children, were caught in a deadly rush to gain access to a charity program distributing 25kg bags of rice, vegetable oil, and cash.
Recalling the incident, Nwaudo said, “I am from Umuohi village in Okija. On the fateful day, I had warned my wife not to go to the rice-sharing venue because of our little baby who was not feeling fine. I asked my wife not to attend the event to look after the boy.
“But I was at the place of my business at Ihiala junction when I was called to rush to Amaranta, venue of the palliatives sharing, that there was a heavy stampede and my wife was trampled upon and that she had just slumped on the floor. I expressed surprise as I had already warned her not to attend.
“But when I got there, to my surprise, I met her lifeless body and my baby still strapped on her back while everywhere was rowdy and everybody scampering to safety. I looked and observed that the baby was still alive. What I did was remove the baby from her back and leave the scene.”
Nwaudo explained that the chaotic scene prevented him from retrieving her body at the time. “It was later that I learnt that the lifeless body was taken to the mortuary by the ambulance provided by the organisers of the event. I went to the mortuary at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala, to see the lifeless body. I have consulted with members of the family and we are making arrangements to go and pick up the corpse for proper burial,” he said.
Reflecting on the tragedy, he added, “It was an unfortunate situation. I won’t blame the organisers of the event, because it is a gesture they have been doing over the years as a way of helping the members of the community to put a smile on their faces during Yuletide. But this one turned out to be like this.
“It was impatience on the part of the people and poor crowd control that contributed to the incident. I learnt that the security operatives battled to control the surging crowd who forced entry into the premises.”
At the scene, scattered shoes, slippers, handbags, and other belongings of the victims bore testament to the chaos.
A relative of another victim, Uju Udoka, recounted her loss. “I lost a sister, who was a nursing mother to the incident. She left her baby to quickly go and share the palliatives. Unfortunately, she ended up not coming back home. It is something that the community has been benefiting from the foundation every year. It’s unfortunate that this year’s edition turned out to be like this due to impatience.”
Eyewitness Nnamdi Uzor described the grim aftermath, stating, “The stampede occurred in the morning of the sharing as the gate of the arena was about to be opened because many struggled to gain entrance. Many people, particularly the aged and children, were trampled upon and many collapsed and critically injured while some died before being rushed to the hospital.
“I saw a woman that lay lifeless on the floor with her baby strapped on her back. Fortunately, the child was still alive, but when the husband came, he picked the child from the back of his wife and immediately left the scene.”
Survivors are still grappling with the traumatic experience. Ngozi, one of the injured receiving treatment at a hospital, shared her harrowing ordeal. “I thank God that I survived the situation. I cannot tell what happened, all I can remember was that there were too many people at the entrance of the venue and as the security people were about to open the gate, people started rushing and pushing one another.
“And when the gate was eventually opened, people started running and in the process, so many people fell and as a result, people coming behind started trampling upon one another. Someone pushed me, and I also fell to the floor. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a heavy load on my body as so many people fell on me.
“I became unconscious and when I opened my eyes, I found myself at the hospital. I don’t know how I managed to survive. I give God the glory.”
Speaking on behalf of the community, the President-General of the Okija Progressives Union, Dr. Paul Isioma Ohaguim, described the incident as “very unfortunate,” emphasizing that the community was in shock. While the exact death toll remains uncertain, the tragedy has left an indelible mark on the community.
