11 Died In PDP Rally …Amaechi Campaign Organisation, Dame Judith Console Victims – RSG

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (left) receiving the PDP flag from Dr Bello Halliru Mohammed, Acting National Chairman Of PDP as the governorship flag bearer for PDP in Rivers State at the South-South zone of presidential campaign held in Port Harcourt.

The Rivers State Government has promised lifeline for families of those who lost their lives in Saturday’s stampede at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt at the end of the South/South PDP campaign rally.

The State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, who briefed newsmen at Government House Port Harcourt yesterday, also confirmed that 11 people lost their lives on the ill-fated incident, adding that Government would also offset the medical bills of all victims receiving treatment in various hospitals, across the state.

She hinted that already the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi had visited the hospitals along with his wife, Judith and the wife of his Bayelsa State counterpart to personally see the wounded and commiserate with the bereaved families.

Mrs Semenitari, who explained that the unfortunate incident was not one that gave anybody joy, said it was not an issue that any responsible government would play politics with, promising that the state government would be as factual as possible in releasing information about it.

According to her, the Commissioner for Health was already going round the hospitals to assess the situation, confirming that the total number of deaths recorded as at the time of briefing was 11 out of which 10 were women with several others wounded.

The Commissioner also said that 15 out of the 36 victims registered at the Braithwaite Memoral Specialist Hospital (BMSH), Port Harcourt, were still on admission and 10 at Teme Clinic while others who were treated for manageable injuries had been discharged.

Mrs. Semenitari, who said she was an eyewitness at the scene, hinted that the confusion that led to the stampede started even before President Jonathan’s speech, as the teeming crowd from the various states, who had come to celebrate with their governors, began to leave the stadium as soon as flags were presented to them.

According to her, the situation was escalated when the security operatives outside the gate shot into the air to disperse people, to enable them rescue those already trapped in the stampede.

The Commissioner, however, said that the details of the cause of the stampede would be made known when the report of the investigation ordered by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan would be made public.

She commended the state government’s emergency medical service, the TIMARIV corps and the police for their quick response to evacuate the bodies of those who died on the spot and those that need medical attention to the hospitals.

Though  the Presidency has since ordered a probe into the tragic incident, reports of how the incident began remain incoherent. But a source told The Tide that the tragic event was sparked off by an unruly crowd that surged towards the main gate of the Liberation Stadium few minutes after the guber candidates were handed party flags.

According to the source, security agents who were at the gate were unable to control the crowd, hence, one of them shot into the air apparently to scare them but it turned out to be the road to their death.

The Tide was reliably informed that the panic caused by the gunshot reportedly had a terrible effect on some of them as they fell down and they were trampled upon by others, resulting to the death. Bodies of the dead persons had since been deposited at the morgue , but the  Emergency Unit of the state-owned Brithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) is busy attending to scores of casualties of the Saturday’s stampede.

A source from the hospital, who pleaded anonymity told The Tide that some persons who had fractures were taken to Teme Hospital and that bodies of some dead were equally deposited at Kpaima Mortuary in Diobu.

Among the states that attended the rally, Akwa-Ibom State, it was further learnt had the highest casualties of about three persons, followed by Bayelsa State, Cross River and Delta States.

Confirming the incident, Police Public Relations Officer, Dr Rita Inoma-Abbey said in a phone chat that the incident occurred about 3pm that fateful day.

The police image maker stated that about 28 injured persons were receiving various level of treatment.

Dr Inoma-Abbey explained that supporters of the various state governors in the zone had surged to the main-gate to jubilate with their candidates leading to the stampede.

Meanwhile, the former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, and senatorial candidate of the PDP, Hon Magus Abe has expressed regrets and sympathy over Saturday’s incident.

In a chat with journalists shortly after the rally, Hon Abe blamed some security personnel for not being alive to their duties, saying that the tragic incident would have been averted if appropriate crowd control measures were adopted.

He said, “ it is sad that at a time like this when some people are celebrating, some people are lamenting”

Meanwhile, governments of Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states have picked up bodies of their people who died in the stampede.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari made this known while briefing newsmen at Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday

Mrs Semenitari added that Delta State would be coming to pick up bodies of their own people.

However, the Amaechi 2011 Re-Election Campaign Organisation has commiserated with the families of all those who were affected in the sad and ugly incident that occurred at the end of the PDP Presidential Campaign flag-off for the South-South zone held in Port Harcourt on Saturday.

“It is unfortunate that such an incident occurred at such a time when Nigerians and indeed Rivers people were willing to express commitment to the electoral process of electing their preferred candidates into office.

We pray God to grant the affected families the fortitude to bear the loss, and wish those injured and are in hospital quick recovery.

We are aware that investigations are ongoing to ascertain the cause of the  incident. This investigation must be thorough to ensure that such an incident never repeats itself.

Our hearts and prayers are with the injured, those who lost their lives and their families, the campaign organisation said.

Meanwhile, wife of the Rivers State Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi had expressed great shock over the number of casualty in Saturday’s stampede, which left 11 people dead during the South-South Presidential Rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt.

Dame Amaechi in a statement signed by her Media Assistant, Dike Bekwele said the state has been thrown into a confused situation, adding that she was yet to recover from the shock.

“I grieve for the victims who attended a successful rally and hoping to reunite with their families but met their untimely death”.

The Rivers First Lady, who also visited the injured persons along with the wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, Mrs Alayingi Sylva at Braithwaite Memorial Special Hospital (BMSP) and Teme Hospital said the situation call for urgent attention and the need to pray for the repose of the departed.

“|This is not a time to shift blame and make political statement over the ugly situation, we must pray for the departed and for God to grant the families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, we must realize that we have lost our people especially women and mothers, indeed, my heart is heavy, I grieve for the dead”.

Mrs Amaechi is also optimistic that the injured persons receiving medical treatment at the hospitals will be well again.

“I am also glad that the other victims who are hospitalized at BMSH and Teme are responding to medications”.

The stampede during the PDP South-South Presidential Rally left 11 people dead.

Kevin Nengia & Enoch Epelle