Peter Obi has blamed hunger and systemic failures for the recent spate of stampedes across the country.
Scores of persons were dead and many others wounded in the tragic incidents in Ibadan, Oyo State; Okija in Anambra and another one in the nation’s capital of Abuja.
The stampedes happened in a space of five days with the last two occurring on Saturday morning during food distribution campaigns.
Obi, who was the Labour Party (LP)’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, said the incidents underline the rising hunger in the country which has led to desperation.
“I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragic loss of lives in desperate searches for food,” Obi, who is a former governor of Anambra State, wrote in a post on his X account Saturday afternoon.
“While I will not cast blame, but instead appreciate the organizers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society,” he said.
“The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.
“This morning, reports emerged of at least 10 people losing their lives in Abuja while scrambling for palliatives, with many others injured
