Buhari saddened by Kings Church Assembly’s outreach deaths

President Muhammadu Buhari says he is “saddened” by the deaths of 31persons in a stampede during the Kings Church Assembly outreach, held at Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Saturday.

There was chaos following the announcement by the organisers of free food and other supplies for the attendees.

Buhari, in his statement released by his media assistant Garba Shehu, also directed that relief materials should be provided to those injured in the stampede.

�‘President Buhari deeply saddened by deaths in Port Harcourt stampede’, advised organisers of such big events to plan well to avert similar calamitous deaths and injuries,” the statement said.

At the same time, Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, has ordered a probe into the accident.

“The governor said the Rivers State Government will constitute a probe panel to investigate the incident and details of what transpired,” said the government statement.

On its part, the police explained that efforts by them to “maintain sanity” during the event “proved abortive”.

Grace Iringe-Koko, acting spokesperson for the Rivers Police, said this in a statement.

The police also said that injured persons “were injured were swiftly evacuated to the hospital for immediate medical treatment” while conforming the death toll.

Iringe-Koko said the commissioner of police for the state had order a “discrete investigation into the incident.”