Stampedes: Palliative Distributors, Shows Promoters Must Get Approval – Lagos Govt Warns, Vows To Punish Defaulters

The Lagos State Government has called on show promoters, non-governmental organisations and private individuals to ensure proper crowd management before organising any events to avoid stampede......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, made the call during a press conference on Sunday.

He said that it was important to warn event planners against stampede.

Recall that INFORMATION NIGERIA had reported that many Nigerians lost their lives due to the unfortunate development.

On the 18th of December, 2024, 35 children were killed during palliative distribution, organized by popular radio station in Oyo State, Agidigbo fm.

Also on the 21st of December, 2024, 10 people lost their lives in Abuja, the nation’s capital, over foods sharing.

A similar event occurred over the weekend in Anambra State where 22 persons, including adults and children were brutally matched till death.

Reacting to the incidents on Sunday, Mr. Omotoso, called on event organisers to make adequate preparation for crowd control before embarking on any philanthropic gestures.

He said: “We are here on behalf of the governor to tell Lagosians that he feels concerned about the report of stamped in some parts of the country and will not want such happening here in Lagos.

“In Lagos state, we have adequate preparations for every big event and we do so every year, we used to have Greater Lagos Fiesta, but this year, we added Boat Regatta and others.

“Unfortunately, we got a report that at Sol Beach Victoria Island, there was a stage collapsed during a show and fortunately nobody died in that incident. This has made us say that we do not want the matter to just slide away.

“To prevent such occurrences in Lagos State, all individuals or groups that intend to hold an event or distribute any items at all to large gatherings of people are advised to seek clearance from the Safety Commission.

“Any act of charity should not turn tragic for our people, so to those who feel that the government is just doing this for nothing and can just gather a crowd and begin distribution of items and huge crowd beefs up and tragic incidents happen, the person will have him or herself to blame.”