Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has called for justice and compensation for the families of the seven individuals who lost their lives in a stampede during a rice sale organized by the Nigeria Customs Service at its office in Lagos.
The Nigeria Customs Service had initiated the sale of 25kg bags of rice for N10,000, following a directive from President Bola Tinubu to alleviate the food crisis in the country by making seized rice available to Nigerians at a reduced price.
Tragically, during the sale that commenced on February 23, a stampede occurred at the Customs Zonal Headquarters in Yaba, Lagos State, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals.
In response to the incident, Falana emphasized that given the high demand for rice at the time, the Customs Service should have anticipated the potential for overcrowding and taken necessary precautions to prevent such a tragedy.
He urged the Customs Service to promptly identify and compensate the families of the deceased individuals. Falana warned that failure to do so would result in legal action to enforce the victims’ fundamental right to life as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Additionally, Falana called on the NCS to resume the sale of the remaining bags of rice but recommended distributing them through local government councils and development areas to prevent further stampedes.
