Three people died and several others were injured in a stampede at the Niger State Government House in Minna on Tuesday evening during an alleged N10,000 cash distribution.
The deceased included a casual staff member at the government house, Maryam Haruna Yakubu and two internally displaced women from Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area, Dije Gambo and her daughter, Hulaira Abubakar – a mother of five.
Hulaira’s husband, Abubakar, a butcher in Allawa community, was reportedly killed by bandits in 2023 along the Allawa-Pandogari Road.
It was gathered that Hulaira left Allawa community after the attack and had been living in Maitumbi area of Minna as an IDP.
According to Daily Trust, Dije, who was staying with her husband as an IDP in Gurmana, visited her daughter when they both heard that Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, had invited people and may distribute money.
They subsequently joined a crowd gathered at the government house to “collect cash” on Tuesday evening, Daily Trust gathered.
Hulaira’s 16-year-old daughter, Maimuna Abubakar, told Daily Trust that hardship drove her mother into the act.
“We were displaced by bandits. My father was killed and we fled to Minna. We live in a rented house. My mother fried soya beans cake (awara) to provide food and pay rent. She was our backbone since our father was killed.
“When we fled from our village, she registered us in a public school in Minna. She had not finished paying our school fees before she died. We may not continue with education unless someone comes to our rescue. We also need help with food,” she said.
Mallam Musa Allawa, one of the IDPs, told Daily Trust that the remains of Dije and Hulaira were laid to rest at 10am on Wednesday at the Unguwan-Daji Muslim cemetery.
When our correspondent visited the emergency unit of Minna General Hospital on Wednesday morning, two of the injured victims who were in critical condition were being referred to the IBB Specialist Hospital for advanced treatment.
Other injured people were admitted to the emergency room of Minna General Hospital. One of them was taken out of the emergency room for an X-ray around 11am.
Our correspondent was barred from interviewing the victims or taking their pictures.
A hospital staff member said that six people were brought in unconscious while three women had already died.
“I was here when nine people were brought. Six people were still alive but in critical condition. Three have already died. Among those who lost their lives was a casual worker in the government house, Maryam Haruna Yakubu.
“This morning, two of the six victims were referred to the IBB Specialist Hospital because they were still in critical condition. The nine people brought consisted of eight women and a man,” he said.
During a visit to one of the victims’ families, our correspondent was told that they were invited to the government house to discuss the matter with the governor and that they had been instructed not to speak to the press.
It was learnt that some youths had planned to protest against the death of 37 artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). It was further gathered that the authorities got wind of the plan after the news circulated on social media platforms last week.
It was alleged that the protest could undermine the peace and stability of the state and the governor reportedly invited some youths to the government house on Tuesday to address them to shelve the demonstration.
Some appointees of the governor had posted on social media that the youths had gathered to show solidarity with him.
One of the appointees explained that other people, including women, later trooped to the government house after hearing that the governor would distribute N10,000 each to the youths.
It was gathered the stampede occurred after the governor had addressed the crowd and his aides brought some cash to share. Following the stampede, sources said the money was taken back and the victims were evacuated immediately to the hospital.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, said the government would release a statement in due course.
Also, the spokesperson for the Niger Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, promised to verify the information and revert, but was yet to do so at press time.
In November 2023, a similar incident occurred at the government house, where a pregnant woman allegedly suffered a miscarriage while struggling to collect the N5,000 being distributed by Governor Bago to the residents.
Primary and secondary school students also reportedly abandoned their classes to go to the government house for the money.
Beneficiaries said the money was being distributed by the governor’s aides on his directive. Some said they spent the entire day struggling to collect the cash.
Some beneficiaries also said that several people, including children, collapsed because of the crowd and were rushed to the government house clinic for treatment.
Residents told Daily Trust that in 2023, the governor was distributing N5,000 each to residents, especially on Fridays and did so for several weeks.
Witnesses said that two children also collapsed during another distribution on the evening of October 27, 2023, while struggling to collect their share of the money.
Security operatives attached to the government house had reportedly raised concerns about a possible breach of security, warning that criminal elements could take advantage of the large crowd of people visiting the premises to collect money.
One of the beneficiaries in November 2023, Salisu Iliyasu, said there were lapses in the crowd control. He said some women lost their head ties and shoes while struggling to get their share.
The Blue Resolution Initiative (TBRi), a Minna-based civil society organisation, condemned the stampede.
The President of TBRi, Muhammad Alfa Muhammad, said the victims were among residents who had gathered at the government house for cash distribution.
He described the incident as a failure on the part of government, arguing that authorities have a duty to ensure that relief interventions are conducted safely, with adequate crowd control, security and emergency medical arrangements.
He said the latest tragedy was particularly disturbing because TBRi had raised concerns about a similar incident at the government house about two years ago involving vulnerable citizens seeking government assistance.
Muhammad said the organisation had warned at the time that poverty should not be weaponised against citizens.
“Today, we are confronted with another tragedy,” he said, arguing that the recurrence showed that lessons from the previous incident had not been adequately addressed.
He called on Governor Bago to take responsibility for the circumstances surrounding the latest incident and provide the public with a full account of what happened.
TBRi demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the stampede, including those who authorised the gathering, the modalities of the distribution exercise, crowd-management arrangements, security deployment, the number of people admitted into the premises and the availability of emergency medical services.
The organisation also called for accountability where negligence, poor planning or other official wrongdoing is established, as well as comprehensive medical care for the injured and appropriate support for the families of those who died.
Muhammad further urged the state government to reform its palliative-distribution system by adopting transparent and decentralised approaches that would prevent dangerous overcrowding.
He said the government should also address the underlying causes of poverty rather than repeatedly placing vulnerable citizens in situations where access to small cash or food interventions depends on gathering in large crowds.
TBRi also raised concerns over the reported deaths of 37 artisanal miners in NSCDC custody, saying the latest incident called for transparent investigations and accountability in matters involving the lives and welfare of Niger State residents.
Muhammad urged Governor Bago to address the people of Niger State directly, disclose the circumstances surrounding the stampede and demonstrate through concrete action that the lives of ordinary citizens matter.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed sadness over the death of three persons in the stampede and called for an investigation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the victims should be remembered as people with families and futures.
“Three Nigerians reportedly went to a government house and did not return home. I mourn them with their families. I pray for those who were injured and call for their immediate care,” he said.
Atiku said the incident highlighted the economic pressure on Nigerian households but stressed that government assistance should be organised in a manner that protects people’s lives.
“That people would rush towards the possibility of N10,000 tells us something painful about the pressure on Nigerian households. But desperation must never be met with a distribution arrangement that puts lives at risk. Help offered in the name of government must be organised with dignity and with the safety of the people as its first concern,” he said.
The former vice president called on the Niger State Government to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including how the gathering was announced and managed.
Atiku also urged the government to support the families of those who died and those injured in the incident.
“There must be no attempt to blame the victims for seeking help. The question for those in authority is how three lives came to be lost at the gates of government, and what will be done to ensure it never happens again,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate said the incident should prompt authorities to address the economic hardship that forces Nigerians to seek small amounts of financial assistance.
“A nation cannot call itself prosperous while its citizens risk their lives for N10,000. We must make life affordable again and treat every Nigerian life as precious,” he said.
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