Atiku Mourns As 3 People Die in Niger Govt House Stampede Over ₦10,000
- Three people died in a stampede at the Niger State Government House where a crowd gathered over reports of a ₦10,000 cash distribution
- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called on the Niger State Government to investigate the circumstances that led to the deaths
- Atiku's statement, released on September 30, 2026, demanded accountability and meaningful support for bereaved families and the injured
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Minna, Niger State - Three people died, and others were injured in a stampede at the Niger State Government House after a crowd gathered following reports that ₦10,000 would be shared, prompting a sharp response from the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Legit.ng reports that among the dead were two IDPs from Shiroro LGA, a mother and her daughter who had already lost a husband to a bandit attack in 2023.
Source: Facebook
The former Vice President said the victims should be remembered as individuals with families and futures, not reduced to a news headline.
Atiku's condemnation came through a statement issued and made available to Legit.ng by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, on September 30, 2026.
"Three Nigerians reportedly went to a Government House and did not return home. I mourn them with their families. I pray for those who were injured and call for their immediate care," Atiku said.
What Atiku said about the tragedy
Atiku said the rush to collect ₦10,000 revealed something troubling about the financial pressure on ordinary Nigerian households.
However, he stressed that desperate circumstances should never be met with a distribution arrangement that endangers lives.
"That people would rush towards the possibility of ₦10,000 tells us something painful about the pressure on Nigerian households. But desperation must never be met with a distribution arrangement that puts lives at risk. Help offered in the name of government must be organised with dignity and with the safety of the people as its first concern," he said.
Atiku called on the Niger State Government to fully establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths, publish a clear account of how the gathering was announced and managed, and offer meaningful support to the bereaved families and those who sustained injuries.
Atiku's call for accountability
He warned against any effort to shift blame onto the victims for seeking assistance.
"There must be no attempt to blame the victims for seeking help. The question for those in authority is how three lives came to be lost at the gates of government, and what will be done to ensure it never happens again," he said.
With Nigeria's Independence Day approaching, Atiku framed the tragedy as a challenge to the country's sense of nationhood, arguing that no nation can claim prosperity while its citizens risk their lives for ₦10,000.
"We must make life affordable again and treat every Nigerian life as precious," he added.
Source: Original
37 Niger miners who died in NSCDC custody
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the International Human Rights Commission compiled a list of 37 people who died while held by the NSCDC in Niger state.
The victims were arrested during operations in Minna in September before being found dead in what officials described as a suspected disease outbreak.
The IHRC said four additional names were added to the list after relatives of unrecorded victims approached the commission.
Source: Legit.ng
