“Three Nigerians Went To Government House And Did Not Return” — Atiku Mourns Niger Stampede Victims, Demands Probe

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed sadness over the death of three persons in the stampede at the Niger State Government House in Minna and called for an investigation.

In a statement on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the victims should be remembered as people with families and futures.
“Three Nigerians reportedly went to a government house and did not return home. I mourn them with their families. I pray for those who were injured and call for their immediate care,” he said.

Atiku said the incident where people rushed towards the possibility of N10,000 tells something painful about pressure on households, but stressed that desperation must never be met with a distribution arrangement that puts lives at risk.
“Help offered in the name of government must be organised with dignity and with the safety of the people as its first concern. There must be no attempt to blame the victims for seeking help. The question for those in authority is how three lives came to be lost at the gates of government, and what will be done to ensure it never happens again,” he stated.

He called on the Niger State Government to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including how the gathering was announced and managed, support families of those who died and the injured, and address economic hardship.
“A nation cannot call itself prosperous while its citizens risk their lives for N10,000. We must make life affordable again and treat every Nigerian life as precious,” Atiku added.

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