From our correspondent, in Bauchi
Four people have been confirmed dead while many have been injured following a stampede in the process of collecting Zakkat in Bauchi.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, said four persons lost their lives in the stampede, while scores were injured, but that the situation had been brought under control.
Eye witnesses said they atttended the distribution of Zakat by a Philanthropist who was sharing N10,000 to the beneficiaries. They explained that while people were waiting in the queue, some women group starrted shouting and throwing stones at policemen on duty, and the police fired tear gas which led to the stampede and people suffered various degrees of injuries, some were receiving medical attention in the Hospital while six person were said to have died.
A victim alleged that the stampede was as a result of the impatience from the beneficiaries, which made some of the women to think that they might not get the gift. Thet lost patience having waited for a long time and started throwing stones to the police which led to the stampede.
The Zakat was distributed by a private businessman, AYM Shafa, in Bauchi .
The poor and needy, who by Islamic jurisprudence are meant to be beneficiaries of Zakat, had gathered in their numbers since morning waiting to take their turns to collect the Zakat.
Zakat is one of the pillars of the Islamic faith. It requires all Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth to charity.
Muslims must meet a certain threshold before they can qualify for zakat.
The amount is 2.5% or 1/40 of an individual’s total savings and wealth, which is thereafter given out to the needy and poor.
The incident came two days after two students of the Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) lost their lives in a stampede that followed an attempt to collect rice palliative provided by the State Government.
