Police arrest Catholic priest, church officials in Abuja over fatal stampede
The Parish Priest and officials of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command over their roles in a fatal stampede during palliative distributions
Penpushing reports that the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, confirmed the arrests on Wednesday during his Christmas message titled “Christmas: A Season of Hope and Renewal’, held in Abuja
The Catholic Archbishop in a Christmas message titled “Christmas: A Season of Hope and Renewal’, however, condemned the arrest of the church officials, arguing that it is counterproductive and lacking empathy.
Penpushing further reports that the cleric wonders what purpose these arrests were meant to serve, stressing that to say the least it was unfriendly, and a misplaced zeal, and urged authorities to assist the church and organisers in recovering from the trauma rather than threatening prosecution.
The Command Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, who equally confirmed the arrests, cited negligence by the organisers, pointing out that it was wrong for the church authorities to have organized an event of that magnitude without notifying the police.
“How can you organise an event of that magnitude without notifying the police? Ten lives, including children, were lost, and many others were injured. Doesn’t this warrant arrest? I cannot confirm if a priest was arrested, except if he was directly involved in the event’s organisation’, she said.
Penpushing also reports the spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command added that police were investigating the stampede in Abuja as well as two others in Anambra and Oyo states.
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