The Kings Assembly church has canceled their special charity program called ‘Shop for Free’ which they had organized to share food and other relief items after many people died in the stampede that occurred in the Polo Club, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Rivers State Police Command Spokesperson, DSP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident in a statement she made to news people and explained that 31 people died in the stampede. The incident happened at the venue where a new generation church, The Kings Assembly, was holding their annual charity outreach program.
According to eyewitness reports, the program was supposed to have commenced by 9 am on Saturday but a multitude of people had already started gathering at the event arena by Friday evening and the rush that led to the stampede was caused when some sports opened one of the gates.
The dead have been deposited into the military mortuary while the injured are also currently receiving treatment.
One eye witness who saw everything as it happened explained that she had benefited from the “Shop for Free” outreach program before, specifically, the one held last year and the year’s fourth edition would be her second time participating. According to her, she heard the announcement of the program on the radio, leading to her decision to participate, when she arrived, she discovered a huge crowd of people waiting.
“I came here as early as 5 am but people had already filled up everywhere,” she said. “The crowd told the gatemen to open the gates but they refused.”
It was later at around 6 am when the gates were opened a little that people rushed in, leading to the stampede and subsequent loss of lives. The eyewitness said that some people died on the spot while others were carried in ambulances called by the church to the nearby military hospital for treatment; more than a few of them were in critical condition.
