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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - At least 13 individuals, including four children, were eliminated in two different stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds gathered to gather food and clothing items dispersed at annual Christmas occasions, the police said Saturday.
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The two mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populated country, amidst a growing trend by local organizations, churches and people to arrange charity drive ahead of Christmas, as the country fights with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people were killed in the very first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, cops representative Josephine Adeh stated in a statement, adding that more than 1,000 people have actually been left from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as dozens attempted to go into the facilities at around 4 a.m., hours before the present items were to be shared, witnesses stated, pointing out that some had actually been waiting given that the previous night.

"The way they were hurrying to go into, some individuals were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he managed to rescue one baby as his mother struggled in the rise.

Three individuals passed away in a comparable crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a charity drive organized by a philanthropist, the state cops said.

"The occasion had actually not even begun when the rush started," authorities representative Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths tape-recorded as officers investigate the occurrence, he said.

Viral footage that to be from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as individuals shouted for help. Some of the injured have been treated and discharged while others continue to receive medical care, cops said.

The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothes products still organized within the facilities.

As the church held a wedding after the crowd was left, the agony and unhappiness stayed palpable even as friends and families collected for wedding event pictures.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his sympathy with the victims' households and asked states and appropriate authorities to implement stringent crowd control procedures.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised questions about security procedures in such occasions. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday today when a local structure organized a well-attended funfair to distribute present items and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the current disaster, the police in Abuja announced that prior consent needs to be acquired before such charity drive are organized.
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The present financial hardship under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who assured "restored hope" when he was sworn into workplace in May 2023, is blamed on surging inflation that is at a 28-year high and the federal government ´ s economic policies that have actually pressed the regional currency to tape low versus the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has actually caused mass demonstrations in recent months. In August, a minimum of 20 individuals were shot dead and numerous others were jailed at protests demanding better opportunities and jobs for youths.