P/Harcourt stampede: When presidential guards engaged in ‘fatal eye-service’
Thousands of persons were no doubt mobilised, the Liberation Stadium, venue of the rally, wore a flamboyant and musicians and comedians were hired with instruments set at their optimal levels. As it turned out though, the rally ended with tragedy. This is because soon after the President’s arrival in the afternoon, some members of his […]
Thousands of persons were no doubt mobilised, the Liberation Stadium, venue of the rally, wore a flamboyant and musicians and comedians were hired with instruments set at their optimal levels. As it turned out though, the rally ended with tragedy. This is because soon after the President’s arrival in the afternoon, some members of his convoy got involved in a fatal accident leading to the death of two people and many injured while at the tail-end of the rally, was that stampede which led to the death of nine women and a man, all of whom were later said to have come from Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom states and host, Rivers.
The road accident was caused by a Bayelsa government SUV whose driver was on high speed and tried to overtake the press vans in front apparently to get closer to the President, but the road was too narrow and it crashed onto a parked tanker, leading to multiple crashes involving eleven vehicles. Five persons amongst them – two soldiers – sustained fractures while two went into coma.
It wasn’t clear if Jonathan and his vice President, Namadi Sambo were aware of that tragedy which preceded their rally, as there was no mention of the accident. But their joy was however cut short by some overzealous presidential security guards, who confused security arrangements already in place at the Liberty Stadium. Shortly before Jonathan’s arrival, an announcement was made by a comedian moderating the occasion that “every policeman who is not part of MOPOL 24 from Abuja should stay away” and that was the beginning of the agony in Mr President’s native region.
Our correspondents at the scene reported that numerous men and women who survived the stampede sat confused. A lady, who sat on the ground, breathing heavily and looking confused, told Weekly Trust that she was only lucky to escape death. Dozens of shoes and other items including clothes belonging to victims were lying scattered at the gate with heavily armed policemen controlling sets of crowds that were only allowed out of the stadium two hours after the stampede. The security men locked the gate again, insisting that attendees use a different exit.
A man and a lady were seen lamenting the situation while the man burst into tears, crying aloud.
The Rivers State government was first to finger Presidential guards as culprits. Mrs Ibim Semenitari, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication at a press conference at the Government House a day after the stampede, stated that she saw MOPOL at the gate when they fired shots into the air and that this worsened the situation.
While some of the 33 victims hospitalised at Braithwaith Memorial Hospital (BMH) and Teme clinic received treatment, others were said to have left untreated because of doctors’ strike. A source at the BMH told our correspondent that the patients left the hospital not because they have recovered but because the doctors to attend to them were on a one-week warning strike.
But the Medical Director in the BMH, Dr. B. A. Aprioku said the patients were duly discharged after receiving treatment. He pointed out that only one victim was transferred to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. He described as untrue the claim that the strike embarked upon by doctors was responsible for their departure from the hospital.
At the hospital, there were warnings pasted at different points written in red ink, which read: “FG take note: No CONMESS no work, Rivers State Government playing politics with the lives of people”.
My mother is among those that died during the stampede and I am saddened. Everybody knows that death is a journey you will embark on and never come back. I am felling her absence very much. I will not eat my mother’s food again: she always callsedme to come and eat in the main house” Chief Nnamdi Wokeh, paramount ruler of Rumuehio-Okania community, Rumuokwuta and son of late Mrs. Woke said.
29 eyewitnesses testified before the panel of inquiry set up by Inspector-General of Police following a Presidential directive. AIG, Zone 6, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar chaired the panel set up to find out, among others, the immediate and remote causes of the stampede. It is also to establish the cause (s) of the death and the number of people that died and injured, to find out if there were any security lapses that caused the incident and make useful and meaningful recommendations to government in order to avert such incident in the future.
Interestingly, most witnesses before the panel alleged that presidential guards from Abuja, who constitute the MOPOL 24 and others closed the main gate of the stadium to stop people from going out because the President was still making his speech. “The crowd started pushing and was able to open the small gate, which was immediately blocked by yet another horseriding security man. One of them used his gun to hit people and I said to him I hope that gun is put on safe. As a result of this, his horse pressed down a woman and suddenly there was a gunshot which led to more confusion,” Comrade Lucky Otos, a witness, told the panel.
There are indications that Deputy Commissioner of Police for Rivers State, Dieye Disae was humiliated by the Presidential guards. She gave the hint while narrating how she was refused entry into the stadium by the security men from Abuja and how she was compelled to withdraw the state security men for the federal troops to take over.
Another Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of operation, Habila Joshua while testifying said, the Rivers State security assisted by troops from neighbouring Cross Rivers and Bayelsa had a clearly spelt out operation order but his men withdrew after the announcement that MOPOL 24 should take over.
“All we needed in terms of security is to select trustworthy persons,” said Rivers Commissioner of Police, Suleiman Abba, visibly dismayed, adding that he regretted that the security in the Presidency should have confidence in their sister security agencies not taking over from them. “You cannot tell someone that you know his house more than himself,” he added.
The commissioner lamented that the directive that his men should withdraw for MOPOL 24 to take over security operation at the stadium was not only unprecedented but out of order, pointing out that some of his senior police officials including those who were trained on crowd control where prevented entry at the gate by security personnel from Abuja.
Manager of Liberation Stadium, where the incident occurred, Mr. Nwehielle James told the panel that Jonathan’s guards directed him alongside his other staff to vacate their offices and so he was not there when the incident occurred.
Presidential security guards were said to have fired about 10 gunshots which rattled the already confused crowd and led to the stampede. “After my attention was drawn to the stampede at the main gate of the stadium, I called my Deputy in-charge of Operations and he confirmed that,” CP Abba said.
An Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of Criminal Investigation, Rivers Command, told the panel of inquiry that eight empty shells of ammunitions believed to have been shot by presidential guards were recovered at the scene of the incident. Up till the time the panel ended its sitting in Port Harcourt on Thursday, there was no witness from any member of the presidential guards from Abuja despite the incriminating accusations. The Chairman of the panel, Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Zone 6), Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, said he had made several efforts to ensure that presidential security personnel appear before the panel to testify, but to no avail. He however pointed out that his panel was expecting a written presentation from them.
Hon. Stanley Uche Ogutu, Councillor representing Ward 8, Obio/ Akpor LGA and son of late Mrs. Ogutu described it as a very sad experience. “I don’t have enough words to describe how members of my family and I feel about this ugly development. It very pathetic that this is happening to my family. My mother was a democrat, she just went to participate and be part of the history-making campaign rally of the PDP. That for the first time in the 50-year history of Nigeria, a Niger Deltan was about to become the country’s President, she wanted to be part of history not knowing she was about to pay with her life. She just wanted to go there and observe what is happening and be part of those who will cheer up the President but it is quiet unfortunate that things went the wrong way.”
Vice President Namadi Sambo was at the hospital to commiserate with victims of the incident days after. He came along with the Speaker of House of Reps, Dimeji Bankole, PDP National Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih among others. The South-South zonal campaign office of Jonathan, led by Chibudom Nwuche, former deputy speaker of House of Reps also visited the victims and announced N500, 000 as interim relief. The Rivers government said it was taking care of all medical bills and was making contacts with families of deceased victims.
Indeed, this question is now popular amongst residents and relatives of victims. Many hope that findings will be made public and action taken against anyone found guilty. Yet, there is also the fear that with the Presidential security guards dodging the panel with impunity, will Goodluck wield the big stick?