King’s Assembly, a new generation church, that hosted the free food items distribution last weekend, where no fewer than 31 persons died in a stampede, has expressed surprise and heavy grief over the incident.
In a statement by the church’s Director of Administration, Chimeka Elem, which was made available to Africa Today News, New York, the church has set up a team of safety specialists to establish the immediate causes of the stampede to enable them provide the authorities all required information in compliance with public safety laws.
He stated that the church organised the programme to reach the less privileged public but regretted the numbers of persons that died in the process.
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‘The King’s Assembly is deeply saddened by the stampede incident that happened in the early hours before the commencement of our benevolence and outreach programme called Shop-for-Free at Polo Club, in Port Harcourt on Saturday, May 28, 2022.
“The purpose of this non-denominational event is to share with the less privileged the gifts provided by our members, friends, and partners. Unfortunately, lives were lost and several people sustained varying degrees of injuries.
“Our Medical Team has been working with medical volunteers and the Military Hospital in Port Harcourt to provide emergency medical services to those affected in this incident.
“While the incident has been reported to the Nigerian Police Force, the church has commissioned a team of safety specialists to establish the immediate causes of the stampede to enable us to provide the authorities all required information in compliance with public safety laws.’
Africa Today News, New York reports that the police command in Rivers State disclosed that those who were injured were swiftly evacuated to the hospital for immediate medical treatment.