A senior Catholic priest in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has been arrested over the tragic stampede that claimed 10 lives during the distribution of free food to the needy at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama.
A number of officials of the church involved in the planning and execution of the ill-fated charity event have also been arrested by security agents. All those arrested have been taken into detention and will likely spend Christmas behind bars, a top Catholic Church leader confirmed on Christmas Eve.
The arrests came against the background of demands by the Islamic activist group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), for the arrest of those behind the event and a similar one in Okija, Anambra State, where 22 persons were confirmed dead in a billionaire businessman’s house. MURIC had demanded that organisers of a similar tragic charity event in Ibadan, Oyo State, who were taken to court and remanded in prison custody, should be released if those of the Abuja and Anamnra events would not be given similar treatment.
Inspector general of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, had also ordered an investigation into the Abuja and Anambra tragic charity outreaches.
Reacting to the arrest and detention of his church officials, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, last night condemned what he described “verbal demonization of the Catholic Church” by some agents of government in responding to the tragedy at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama.
According to Kaigama, the detention of the priest as well as some officials of the church and the threat to slam criminal charges on the church “is to say the least, uninspiring, unfriendly and a misplaced zeal, and one wonders what purpose these were meant to serve.”
Archbishop Kaigama, who made his mind known in his Message titled, “Christmas: A Season of Hope and Renewal”, said that government officials should have focused on helping the organisers and the church to overcome their trauma instead of compounding it through arrest, detention and threat of criminal prosecution.
