YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – At least 67 people died in separate Christmas charity stampedes across Nigeria over the last week, sparking shock and sorrow among the leadership of the Catholic Church.

On December 21, an event to distribute food and clothing at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, in the capital Abuja, left ten people dead. More than a thousand people were evacuated from the Church.

The event was organized by an international Catholic charity, the St. Vincent de Paul Society.  On the same day, a similar food-distribution event in the southern town of Okija organized by a philanthropist left 22 people dead.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja described the Church-organized event as “a devastating blow” in a December 21.

The archbishop said he was shocked and saddened at the tragedy and that on behalf of the Catholic archdiocese of Abuja, “I … mourn the tragic loss of lives and those injured at the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s food-sharing event at Holy Trinity Parish.”

He noted the St. Vincent de Paul Society has been selfless in supporting the “poor and vulnerable in our midst,” adding it was “a testament to the Catholic Church’s commitment to serving the least among us.”

“This tragedy, which claimed the lives of over ten people, is a devastating blow to our community,” Kaigama said, and offered his  “heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased and injured.”

“May God grant them the strength and comfort they need during this difficult time,” the archbishop said.

“Let us come together as a community to pray for the souls of the departed, for the healing of the injured, and for the consolation of all those affected by this tragedy,” he said.

He called on the people of God to join him in praying for the eternal rest of those who died.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has also extended condolences to the families of the victims, saying in a statement the ten people who died at the Church event weren’t just statistics – they represented grieving families.

“The National Leadership of CAN is disturbed by the tragic events at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama on Saturday morning,” CAN said in its Sunday statement signed by its President, protestant Archbishop Daniel Okoh.

“This tragedy is not just statistics; it represents real families who are hurting. Each person lost was someone’s beloved family member. We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the Catholic Church and to the families affected by this terrible incident. We stand together with you in this time of sadness and prayer,” he said.

The Abuja and Okija stampedes follow yet another stampede on December 18 at an Islamic high school in Ibadan, the capital of Nigeria’s southwest Oyo State, where up to 5,000 young people and children had gathered for an event.

Women In Need Of Guidance and Support Foundation, the charity that organized the event, had promised participants would “win exciting prizes like scholarships and other bountiful gifts.”

The series of stampedes to get food and other gifts highlight a deeper problem in Nigeria: The cost-of-living crisis.

“There is hunger in Nigeria. Every Nigerian needs food,” a woman told local TV channel, Arise TV after the stampede in Abuja.

In August, millions of Nigerians took to the streets to protest the high cost of living. The protesters were criticizing food shortages, corruption, and demanding the reinstatement of gas and electricity subsidies.

According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s inflation rate hit a 28-year high, reaching a staggering 34.19 per cent in June 2024. This has been worsened by the removal of fuel subsidies.

Food inflation, which accounts for the bulk of Nigeria’s inflation basket, surged to a record high of 40.87 percent in June, compared to May’s 40.66 percent, boosted by price increases in bread, cereal, potatoes, and fish.

Additional upward pressure came from prices of housing and utilities (30.3 percent vs 29.6 percent) and beverages & tobacco (24.1 percent vs 23.3 percent). Meanwhile, the Nigerian naira’s significant depreciation against the dollar has further driven up prices. Additionally, the government’s statistics office reports that at least 63 percent of Nigeria’s population of over 210 million lives in poverty.

Such levels of poverty and limited access to food explain why people had to surge forward to get food and other gifts, resulting in the 67 deaths recorded over the past week. According to the President of the St. Vincent de Paul of Holy Trinity Catholic Parish, lawyer Joy Ohiagu, many people “slept over just to get food. It’s not just happening in Nigeria; this kind of desperation is everywhere.”

She said the December 21 stampede “is a stark reminder of the growing inequality and hunger plaguing the country. While the church and charitable organizations like St. Vincent de Paul continue to provide lifelines, the burden is becoming unsustainable without significant government intervention.”