Abuja, Dec 22 (IANS) At least 22 people were killed in a stampede during a philanthropic initiative to distribute food items and vegetable oil to locals ahead of Christmas celebrations in Okija, a town in Nigeria's southeastern state of Anambra, the police said on Sunday.

Tochukwu Ikenga, the spokesperson for the police in Anambra, said in a statement that "there were injured casualties receiving treatment at local hospitals" but did not give an exact figure, following the fatal incident on Saturday morning. He said an investigation was underway on the incident.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's national police chief Kayode Egbetokun has issued a stern warning against the unorganised "distribution of palliatives and funfairs," which have recently led to stampedes and fatalities among vulnerable citizens in the country.

Egbetokun said in a statement on Saturday that the warning came in response to the increasing number of stampedes resulting in injuries and deaths, particularly during palliative distributions ahead of the Christmas celebration, describing them as 'uncoordinated.'

In a separate stampede, at least 10 people, including four children, were killed, while eight others sustained injuries during a relief item distribution at a local church in the Maitama district of Abuja, the Nigerian capital, on Saturday.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called on state and local authorities to implement strict crowd control measures nationwide, following the fatal incidents, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Local and state authorities should no longer tolerate operational lapses by organisations and corporate bodies involved in charitable and humanitarian activities," Tinubu said.

Padre Mike Nsikak Umoh, spokesperson for the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, told reporters that the event attracted more than 3,000 people from nearby villages and low-income suburbs. Following the 'tragic incident,' the 'palliative distribution' was suspended, he said.

According to witnesses, many attendees arrived as early as 4 a.m. local time, despite the event being scheduled to start between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Saturday.

Earlier on Wednesday, at least 35 people were killed and six critically injured in a stampede during a children's carnival in the southwestern city of Ibadan.

--IANS

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