Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja Most Reverend Ignatius Kaigama has described as unacceptable the arrest of the parish priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama over the stampede during the distribution of food which left 10 persons dead.
Kaigama stated this while speaking with journalists after the Christmas Mass on Wednesday at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Catholic Pro-Cathedral, Abuja.
Kaigama said the unfortunate development should rather attract sympathy than blames.
“My priest was taken away to be interrogated, the officials of St. Vincent de Paul, who sacrificed so much, were also taken away and detained. This is unacceptable, rather there should be some sympathy and some understanding that we can work together to bring support to these hungry and needy people. They should not frighten us when we are doing good things, they should rather correct us and help us so that we do good things better,” he said.
The clergyman noted that the deaths and injuries recorded reflected the current economic hardship and the desperation of Nigerians to meet their basic needs such as feeding.
“They died not because they went to war or for doing anything wrong, they were only seeking for what to eat. They have died, there’s nothing we can do other than to ask questions and see how this can be avoided in the future,” he said.
Kaigama condoled with the families of victims of the stampede.
