Anambra church stampede tragedy: Politicians in blame war

Even up till this moment, the actual cause of the stampede that claimed no fewer than 28 lives and left scores of others worshippers injured last Saturday at the Holy Ghost Adoration ground, Uke in Idemili North Local government Area of Anambra State, is yet to be ascertained. For all who cared to know, they are being furnished with one gory tales or the other. While some said that the sight of a snake inside a nearby gutter cause the stampede, others had it that a flame of fire in a firewood raised up by a woman frying Akara was responsible for the mayhem. Some equally attributed the incident to Governor Peter Obi’s attendance to the adoration ground with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) campaign train for purposes of campaign, while others said Obi’s visit had nothing to do with the stampede. On the other hand, both Governor Obi and the Governor candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Chris Ngige had traded blames against each other over the incident but no matter how defensive each of them was, the dead can no longer come back to life. Already, the incident has elicited many reactions from far and near, including some human rights group, the bereaved victims and ordinary individuals, among whom are Mr. Izundu Ajah, the bereaved husband to one of the dead victims, Mrs. Adaobi Ajah. The body of all the deceased victims were scattered in various hospitals, including the Immaculate Heart Hospital, Nkpor- Agu, St. Vharles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha and Crown Hospital, Nkpor-Uno and as at the time of filing this report, the medical Director in-charge of Crown Hospital, Dr. Edwin Emegoakor, told newsmen that out of the 21 injured persons brought to his hospital, 20 of them had been discharged after recovery, while only one was still responding to the treatments. The bereaved Mr. Ajah, a Lagos based businessman from Uburu community in Ohaozara Local overnment Area of Ebonyi State, told newsmen in Onitsha on arrival that his late wife, Adaobi who was until her death, was doing her youth service at Onitsha High School, Onitsha, called him on phone at about 5 p.m. the previous day being Friday to inform him that she would attend the night vigil at the adoration center. Ajah noted that at about 10 p.m., she called him against to inform him that she was already there at the adoration ground, bu that little did he know that the 10 p.m. call would be the last to hear from her again. He said he started calling her in the morning hours without any response until one Achebe, a coordinator at the adoration center who picked up her phone, responded and said that he did not know her whereabout, but after a while, another caller informed him that she was dead in a stampede that occured early in the morning. He said he sent his brother-in-law and elder brother who were with her in Onitsha to go to the adoration ground to find out what was happening and they went and confirmed her dead, adding that she had been deposited at the Immaculate Heart Hospital, Nkpor. Ajah who recalled that his marriage with the late Adaobi was less than two years old, noted that he would like to bury her as soon as possible and forget the death, adding that the most painful aspect of her death was that she was six month old pregnant. He said the coordinators of the adoration center had just intimated him that the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke would conduct a solemn mass for all the deceased worshippers on October 21, after which he would like to bury her at once. He said he was looking forward for the compensation which Governor Peter Obi promised in his broadcast to the people of the state, last Sunday. Meanwhile, the Campaign for Democracy (CD) has urged Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, South-East Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to constitute a 7-man investigative committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding Uke tragedy. CD said the essence of such committee was to ensure equity and also to check any possible manipulation, adding that Anambra government should hands-off the panel of inquiry and investigation into the mysterious tragedy. The statement, which was issued to newsmen in Onitsha, was jointly signed by Dede Uzor A. Uzor and Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo, who are the Chairman and Secretary of CD South-East Region respectively. The statement noted that the state government sponsoring an inquiry and investigation would bias the outcome of the remote and immediate causes of the incident which would further infuriate the minds of the public especially the Christian community. “A tragedy that led to a loss of more than 25 lives in a holy and safe place, which included a six-month pregnant woman, Adaobi who is a corper currently serving at Onitsha High School, Onitsha, should not be swept under the carpet”. CD warned politicians to henceforth, stop using churches and prayer grounds for their political campaigns and rallies in Anambra in the interest of God and humanity. CD, however, urged Anambra government to ensure a free treatment for injured survivors of the tragedy, while due compensation should be paid to the families of the victims who lost their lives. “Anambra government should as a matter of necessity pay a minimum of N20 million to the families of each of the dead victims of the tragedy and at the same time, erect a long lasting monument at the entrance of the Uke adoration ground to serve as a memorial for the souls lost so far. The statement also urged Anambra government to construct more than two leading roads to the adoration ground. Authorities of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Anambra State had disclosed that they have launched a full blown investigation into the stampede that claimed 28 lives and left scores of other worshippers critically injured at the Holy Ghost Adoration Center, Uke in Idemili North local Government Area of Anambra State , early Saturday morning. The Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke who disclosed this yesterday while briefing newsmen at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, said the Archdiocese had just inaugurated a team of investigators to unravel the circumstances surrounding the matter, adding that more efforts are being intensified to protect the lives of all worshippers at the center. Archbishop Okeke who spoke through the Archdiocesan Director of social Communications, Rev Fr. Pius Ukor, noted that he was deeply saddened by this ugly incident, after visiting the dead in the morgue and the injured in the hospitals, expressed his sincere condolence to the families and relations of those who lost their lives in the incident. He explained that save for the unprecedented crowd, the vigil started and ended normally, adding that the stampede was reportedly caused by a false alarm raised by somebody in the crowd along one of the narrow roads out of the town. According to him, “The crowd was so much that all the people wanting to leave at the same time made it very difficult for people to find enough space to move, adding, this happened in just one of the roads out of the town”. In the same vein, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (INTERSOCIETY) has called on the authoorities of the Adoration Ministry led by Reverend Father Emmanuel Obimma to ban the official attendance and recognition of politicians and their political parties during adoration prayers. In a press statement issued yesterday, the Chairman of INTERSOCIETY, Emeka Umeagbalasi said such politicians may be allowed to attend in their private capacities, adding that the ban should also be placed on their retinue of supporters, who at times turn mischievous. Umeagbalasi also called for an outright ban on donation of vehicles by politicians to convey devotees to the Adoration Ground should, adding that politicians, including those in charge of affairs in the Government of Anambra State may be invited officially in the day time to participate in the official activities of the Ministry including fund-raising. He noted that it is shocking and sad to note that some politicians have formed habits of sending and stationing their hatchet men on the Adoration Ground to disrupt their opponents’ successful participation in the Prayers’ session either by voice or physical disruptions. He however recommended that the authorities of the Adoration Ground should reorganize the entire security and exit and entry procedures in the premises of the Ministry. The mammoth crowd that graced the stampeded prayer session is dotted with suspicion of “menacing rented crowd” possibly imported by some politicians to create such homicidal atmosphere. He said that although the fatal stampede has been linked to “frying oil flames”, but other intervening forces such as political sabotage may not be ruled out, stressing that the desperation of some politicians to capture and loot Anambra State premised on the allimportant November 16, 2013 governorship poll is evidently pronounced. “The governorship candidates of APC, Labour and APGA have visited the scene recently and made several promises including tarring the entrance road, tackling the gully menace near the Holy Ground and provision of vehicles to convey devotees from far distances during Adoration days and hours”. “While Dr. Chris Ngige and his APC reportedly fulfilled their recent promise of grading the entrance road to the Adoration Ground, the camp of Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah and his Labour reportedly took charge of providing some vehicles to convey devotees from far distances to the Holy Ministry. The camp of Governor Peter Obi and his Party have reportedly promised to tar the entrance road and tackle the gully menace threatening the Adoration Ground before the end of the Governor’s tenure by first quarter of 2014”. Culled from National Mirror Newspaper