By Ayodele Oni
A 60-year old man was among three persons confirmed dead during a stampede at an Empowerment Programme Centre in Borno State. 21 others were injured.
Report revealed that the programme, which took place on Friday, was at the instance of two humanitarian groups.
The groups, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UNICEF had distributed the sum of N28,500 to each beneficiaries in Bama, Borno State to cushion the effect of economic hardship.
One of the designated payment centres in Bama was a primary school compound where a large crowd had gathered to receive a flat-rate cash assistance of N28,500.
All of a sudden, the number of beneficiaries swelled, which made the organizers to lose control as the crowd surged toward the school gate, triggering a stampede that left several people trampled and injured.
Not less than 12 persons who are all residents of Obama community sustained injuries in the incident and were rushed to the nearest health facility in the community.
Bukar Labddo, 60, of Bukar Tela Ward, was pronounced dead on arrival at the General Hospital in Bama. Hospital sources later confirmed that two more victims succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment.
Security personnel were immediately deployed to the scene to restore order and assist in the evacuation of the injured to nearby medical facilities.
The bodies of the deceased had been released to their family for burial according to Islamic rites. The humanitarian agencies involved have yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.
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