Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has mourned the deaths of three people in a stampede at the Niger State Government House, where a crowd had gathered over reports of a ₦10,000 cash distribution. In a statement released on September 30, 2026, Atiku called on the Niger State Government to investigate the circumstances leading to the tragedy and demanded accountability, as well as meaningful support for the bereaved families and the injured.
Details of the Stampede and Victims
The stampede occurred at the Niger State Government House in Minna after a crowd assembled following reports that ₦10,000 would be shared. Legit.ng reports that among the dead were two Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Shiroro Local Government Area—a mother and her daughter, who had already lost a husband to a bandit attack in 2023. The third victim has not been named in the report.
The former Vice President, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the victims should be remembered as individuals with families and futures, not reduced to a news headline. His 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.
Atiku's Response and Call for Investigation
In his statement, Atiku expressed grief over the incident, saying, "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." He noted that the rush to collect ₦10,000 revealed something troubling about the financial pressure on ordinary Nigerian households, but 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. He also warned against any effort to shift blame onto the victims for seeking assistance.
Broader Context and Previous Incident
"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," Atiku added. With Nigeria's Independence Day approaching, he 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 concluded.
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) compiled a list of 37 people who died while held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (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.
