Over 20 Die in Stampede While Trying to Get Bag of Rice in Okija Anambra [Video]

At least 20 people have died in a stampede while trying to get a bag of rice in Okija Anambra.

Newsone Nigeria reports that a Christmas rice-sharing event has led to a stampede in the Okija community in Anambra, southeast Nigeria, killing no fewer than twenty people.

This online news platform understands that the Okija stampede occurred on Saturday morning, December 21, 2024, after the Obi Jackson Foundation, run by oil magnate Ernest Obiejesi, announced plans to share rice with the less privileged in the spirit of Christmas 2024.

“Dozens of people were killed,” a witness could be heard saying in a viral video on Saturday morning. Videos circulation on social media platforms showed the bodies of some of the diseased, mostly women.

It was learned that those injured in the Okija stampede were rushed to Our Lady’s Hospital in Okija. A hospital spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

The police in Anambra said the matter was under investigation, with the command spokesperson declining to elaborate on Saturday morning.

Reports have it that thousands of 10-kilogramme bags of rice were shared, and many people received only cups of rice because of the large number of people looking to benefit from the Christmas charity, which Obiejesi organises annually.

Obi Jackson Foundation operates children’s hospitals and educational facilities in Okija, about 100 kilometres south of Awka, the state capital.

Watch the Okija stampede video below…

Meanwhile, Newsone reports that the Okija stampede is coming days after a similar Christmas charity event turned deadly in Ibadan, Oyo State, southwest Nigeria, killing 35 children.