Ramadan zakat stampede: 13 children of late widow seek support from Bauchi govt

The children of late widow, Hassana Adamu, who tragically lost her life in the stampede during the Ramadan zakat collection at the AYM Shafa head office on March 24, 2024, are pleading for assistance from the Bauchi State government.

Newspot reports that 53-year-old Adamu was involved in the stampede that occurred at about 10 am at the Shafa Holdings Company Plc headquarters along Jos Road, on the said day, which led to the death of seven women.

It was gathered that the crowd, largely women, had gathered for the distribution of the zakat items, distributed by a Bauchi-based philanthropist.

The distribution was said to have begun smoothly, with beneficiaries called in groups to receive items, until restlessness among others led to a struggle to enter the premises.

Speaking in an interview with Newspot on Wednesday, the eldest child of the family, Nafisa Adamu, stated that their mother’s demise has left a huge vacuum , adding that she was the breadwinner of the family until her demise.

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Recalling the sad incident, the 29-year-old said their mother’s death came as a shock to the whole family.

She said: “Our mother was the one taking care of us from childhood until she died because our father is not alive.

“She is like a strong pillar to us because she is the one taking care of our feeding, clothing, education and so many other things. She tried her best in seeing that we get a better life.

“Before her demise , we did a lot of small businesses that women used to do at home and outside which include selling of food, tomato, pepper and things like that.

“ The delegate of Shafa company visited us and they brought rice, maize, millet, and N250,000 naira to us. However, the support they gave will only take us as far as two or three months. Apart from this, we did not get support from anywhere.

“The support we want now is for food, educational support for my younger ones and maybe a business start up that will help us so that we will be getting what to eat always.

“Up till now nobody has showed interest in taking care of younger ones’ education, that’s why we are calling on the support of the government.”

Newspot recalls that after the incident, AYM Shafa, through the Abdulmuminu Foundation, visited families of victims and donated two bags of rice and N250,000 to each.

In a statement released thereafter, the foundation said that: “We deeply regret to announce the tragic events that unfolded at the premises AYM Shafa Holding, Bauchi, resulting in the loss of precious lives due to a stampede during zakat collection. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones affected by this devastating incident. We extend our sincerest condolences and sympathy during this difficult time.

“As a charity foundation committed to the safety and wellbeing of the public, we acknowledge our responsibility in ensuring the proper management and supervision of events to prevent such occurrences. The safety and security of all individuals attending our events are paramount. We deeply apologise for any shortcoming in our oversight that may have contributed to this tragedy.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the stampede to understand what went wrong and to implement immediate corrective measures. Additionally, we are collaborating closely with local authorities and emergency responders to provide support to those affected and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

“Words cannot express the sorrow and remorse we feel over the loss of lives in this unfortunate incident. We are committed to learning from this tragedy and taking all necessary actions to prevent such incidents from occurring again. Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the victims. And we stand ready to offer any assistance and support they may need during this challenging time.”