At Least 16 Nigerian Jobhunters Crushed to Death in Stampedes

At least 16 people were killed and dozens were injured in stampedes at employment recruitment sessions throughout Nigeria over the weekend. The deaths occurred after the country's government invited around half a million people to take aptitude tests and apply for 4,500 available jobs with Nigeria's Immigration Service.

Seven people died at the Abuja National Stadium, according to official state media. The deaths occurred after the government invited 65,000 people to the stadium, despite its maximum capacity of 60,000 and with only "a few" of the 30 entrances open, according to the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), an activist group.

Similar incidents were reported throughout the country, and the other nine deaths occurred in Minna, Port Harcourt, Dutse, and Benin City. Hospital officials are also concerned about other seriously injured victims. Some reportedly may not survive, raising the death toll further.

The ERC said: "The blame for the death rests primarily on the shoulders of the Federal Government and particularly the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Ministry of Interior which appear to have turned the recruitment test to an opportunity to make quick money."

"According to reports, only 4,556 vacancies were advertised but the NIS accepted [an] application fee of N1,000 ($6) each from over 500,000 applicants making a clean return of over N500 million! This is unconscionable! This is unacceptable!!"

The aftermath of the stampedes in Abuja National Stadium, Nigeria.

The Nigerian government refused to take responsibility for the deaths and instead blamed the victims themselves. Interior Minister Abba Moro told the official News Agency of Nigeria that the jobseekers had “lost their lives through their impatience.” Moro said that many of the applicants had "jumped through the fences of affected centers and did not conduct themselves in an orderly manner… This caused stampedes and made the environment unsecured."

Moro also told the BBC that despite calls for his resignation, he would refuse to step down. Later, he admitted to the faulty crowd management. "Every step that we have taken was out of a patriotic desire to ensure that every Nigerian has an opportunity of being enlisted. It is unfortunate that the poor management of crowd led to the death of people" Moro said.

These deaths highlight the economic desperation that many Nigerians face. Despite possessing vast oil resources, much of Nigeria’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of the elites. Nigeria’s unemployment rate was nearly 24 percent in 2011 and in 2012 over 50 percent of Nigerian youth were jobless.

This is also not the first time this type of incident occurred. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, 20 people died in 2008, after the government conducted a similar exercise.

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