From Paul Orude, Bauchi
The death toll resulting from the Zakat collection stampede in Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital on Sunday, has risen from four to seven.
The confirmation of the latest figure was given by the Public Relations Officer of the Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Wakili, on Monday.
Wakil confirmed in a press release that confirmed that three more women in addition to previously confirmed four, have died, bringing the death toll to seven.
He said the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) confirmed that two more women died at the hospital among those brought for treatment while another woman died at home.
He gave their names as Aisha Usman, aged 13; Sahura Abubakar, aged 55; Aisha Ibrahim Abubakar, aged 43; Kobi Street Bauchi; and Khadija Isah, aged 8; Karofi Bauchi.
The rest are Maryam Suleiman, aged 20, of Kandahar Bauchi; Maryam Shuibu, aged 16, of Gwang Gwan Gwan Bauchi; and Hassana Saidu, aged 53, of Dutsen Tanshi Bauchi.
He stressed that “these are the number of victims confirmed dead by medical doctors. More details will be made available to the public as the command receives them.”
The stampede that claimed their lives occurred at the venue of the distribution of Zakaat by a Bauchi-based philanthropist and chairman of the AYM Shafa group of companies.