Stampede in Port Harcourt: Governor Wike order probe into incident wey kill 31 for Kings Assembly special charity programme

Rivers state goment don order probe panel to investigate wetin cause di stampede for Polo Club Port Harcourt, Rivers state for Southern Nigeria wey cause di deaths of many pipo.

Govnor Nyesom Wike through im media aide, Kelvin Ebiri tell sorry to families wey loose dia pesin and those wey dey injured for di incident.

Di incident happun for Kings Assembly church charity programme ‘Shop for Free’ wey dem dey do to share food and oda tins.

Rivers State Police Command tok tok pesin DSP Grace Iringe-Koko confam di tori to BBC Pidgin, she say 31 pesins die for di stampede.

BBC Pidgin gada from eye witnesses say di programme suppose start by 9am on Saturday but plenti pipo begin gada since Friday evening dey wait for di venue of di event and by early morning 6am dem rush inside wen some pipo wey dey do sports for di open di small gate wey come result to stampede.

Dem don deposit some of di deadibody for Military mortuary while those wey dey injured dey received treatment.

‘We dey trace, engage with affected families’ – The Kings Assembly

Dis edition of di ‘Shop for Free’ programme of The Kings Assembly suppose be di fourth one.

Di programme na outreach of di church wey dey give out free food and oda tins wey pipo need like clothes, shoes, household items as well as free medical checks and sharing di gospel.

The Kings Assembly, di church wey organise di programme say dem dey work with di Police authorities to find out wetin really cause di stampede.

For statement wey di Director of Administration, Chimeka Elem sign, dem say dem dey sad about di unfortunate incident wey happun for di programme wey dem intend to help and share gifts to di less privileged.

E explain say di ‘Shop for Free’ programme start for 2014 and dem dey always take safety of dia congregation seriously, but for dis year own, dem choose di Polo Club sake of di large crowd dem expect but dem no expect wetin happun because di crowd gada overnight long before di security teams dem get for di event take dia place.

Elem say dia medical team and volunteers dey work with personnel of di Military Hospital to treat those wey dey injured even as dem dey review dia Public safety protocol and advance crowd management procedures to make sure say dia events go dey safe.

E add say any further details of developments dem go share with di public even as dem dey trace and engage with families wey dey affected.

‘Pipo full evriwia’

One eye witness wey see as e happen korokoro say she don benefit from di “Shop for free’ outreach programme wen di church, The Kings Assembly organise last year for dia church premises.

She say she hear announcement of di programme for radio na im make she come to come benefit too but wen she come she see a huge crowd of pipo.

“I come here as early as 5am but pipo don full evriwia dey wait.

Di crowd full and dem dey tell di gatemen dem to open di gate but dem no gree.

Around dat 6am na im dem come open di small gate wey make pipo to push as dem dey rush enter so pipo come fall and anoda peson fall unto anoda pesin na so do stampede happen.” She tok.

She say some victims die on di spot while di church call ambulance wey odas go di nearby Military hospital and some dey critical condition.