Several people are said to have died in a stampede, a few moments before the start of a program organized by a new generation church in Port Harcourt, Rivers State’s capital.
The ‘Kings Assembly’ church which is located in the GRA area of the city, hosted the event at the Polo Club in Port Harcourt to accommodate the usually huge crowd.
The church had asked members of the public to come and get gift items and free food as it celebrated its fourth anniversary, according to reports.
According to a source who pleaded anonymity, some of the invitees arrived on Friday evening, while others arrived as early as 6.30 a.m. on Saturday for an event that was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
The source stated that the majority of the victims were rushed to a neighbouring military hospital in Port Harcourt.
He said, “As I speak with you, I have counted 21 corpses at the military hospital. I heard some were taken to a different facility.
“This is not the first time the church is holding this programme, but the crowd since yesterday (Friday) till this morning is too much.
“It was said that gift items and free food would be served. It is very painful.”
The narrow entrance leading into the venue was reportedly opened wide to create easy access for attendees, resulting in a stampede.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the state Police Command’s acting spokesperson, confirmed the occurrence when reached, but could not provide a figure at the time.
She said, “I am doing a press statement on the incident. It will be released soon.”
