13 people, including children, die in stampedes at Nigerian Christmas charity events

A man rides a motorcycle taxi past Christmas decorations on a street in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday. At least 13 people, including four children, were killed in two separate stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothing items distributed at annual Christmas events, the police said. At least 13 people, including four children, were killed in two separate stampedes in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothing items distributed at annual Christmas events, the police said Saturday. The two accidents came days after another such stampede in Africa’s most populous country, amid a growing trend by local organizations, churches and individuals to organize charity events ahead of Christmas, as the country struggles with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Three people died in a similar crush later in the southeastern Anambra state’s Okija town at a charity event organized by a philanthropist, the state police said.