The husband of one of the victims of the stampede that occurred at Okija, in Anambra state on Saturday, December 21, identified as Uchenna Nwaudo, has lamented the loss of his wife in the tragic incident.
In an interview with The Punch, he explained how he had warned her not to attend the programme, but she ignored his advice.
The police in Anambra disclosed that 22 people were killed during a stampede in Okija, Ihiala local government area (LGA) of the state.
Tochukwu Ikenga, the police spokesperson in Anambra, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday morning, December 22, obtained by Legit.ng.
The stampede occurred at the gate of a charity event at the Obijackson Centre in Amanranta area of the community.
Husband laments loss of wife
Speaking on Sunday, Nwaudo lamented the loss of his wife in the incident.
He 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.”
He said he could not even carry her lifeless body as everywhere was still very rowdy noting that it was by the grace of God that he managed to escape the scene.
“Even my mobile phone and her handbag were nowhere to be found,” he added.
peaking further, the man attributed the tragic stampede to poor crowd control and impatience.
The tragic incident resulted in 22 fatalities, who are manly elderly individuals and children.
Stampede in Ibadan, Oyo state
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that at least 35 minors were killed in a stampede at a charity event in Ibadan attended by dozens of masses.
The incident occurred at Islamic high school in Oyo state where up to 5,000 adults and children gathered for assistance.
