Did 100 people die in Anambra stampede?

Claim: Facebook user claims over 100 people died in Anambra state’s stampede.

Verdict: Misleading. Official report as of Dec. 23, 2024, says 22 people, not all women, died in Anambra state’s stampede.

Full Text

Barely three days after the Ibadan stampede, which claimed the lives of 35 children, Anambra State also experienced a stampede. The stampede occurred on Dec. 21, 2024, during a rice distribution event at Amaranta Stadium in Okija, Ihiala LGA. The event was organised by the Obijackson Foundation.

Following the incidents, multiple Facebook users have given varying numbers of casualties in both incidents.

A Facebook page, Amokwe TV Channel, in a post, claimed that over 100 persons died in the Anambra State stampede. The post reads, “#BreakingNews Reports reaching Amokwe TV news journalists from the early hours of today have confirmed that over 100 persons lost their lives in a stampede today at Okija, Anambra State, during a free Christmas gifts donation by a philanthropist, Obi Jackson. More Details Coming Up.”

Another Facebook user, Prince Olubuse Tosinoscopolo Gcfr, on Dec. 21, 2024, claimed 35 women died in the stampede. The post reads, “Just in… Rice sharing stampede in Okija, Anambra, has left 35 women dead.”

Another Facebook user, Babatunde Olorunkemi Adenuga, on Dec. 21, 2024, posted that 40 people died from the incident.

DUBAWA decided to do a fact-check to clarify the accurate number of recorded deaths and to mitigate the tension caused by the posts.

Verification

DUBAWA’s findings reveal that as of Dec. 23, 2024, only 22 people have been confirmed dead from the incident. According to a news report by Channels TV, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said, 

“The commissioner of police, Nnaghe Obono Itam, visited the hospital where the victims of the tragic stampede that occurred on 21/12/2024 in Okija, Ihiala local government area, are receiving treatment and regrettably stated that twenty-two people lost their lives,” Ikenga said.

Conclusion

The claims are misleading. Official reports say only 22 persons have been confirmed dead as of Dec. 23, 2024.