A member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward E1, Surulere, Lagos, Adebanjo Comfort Funmilayo, is among seven people reportedly killed in a stampede amid a rush for subsidised rice.

The stampede allegedly occurred on Friday, during the struggle by a crowd during the distribution of seized bags of rice by the Nigeria Customs Service at its office in Yaba.

According to a shared WhatsApp message, she, along with six others, was said to have died along with others while trying to buy the seized rice being put up for sale by the customs at subsidised prices.

“It is with a heavy heart and regret that we announce the painful death of one of our members in WARD E1, Mrs Adebanjo Comfort Funmilayo of house number 104, Ibidun Street by Akinhanmi Street, Ojuelegba.

“She was among the 7 victims that died in the course of buying custom rice at Yaba. May God grant all the members of her family and all the residents of WARD E1 the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss,” said the WhatsApp message.

On Thursday, the customs said it has begun distributing seized food items to hungry citizens to help mitigate the current hardships. However, the agency said persons with a verifiable National Identification Number (NIN).

“Our target includes artisans, teachers, religious organisations and other Nigerians within the area of customs operations, including the border areas.

“The intention of this distribution is to reach out directly to members of organisations that have structures to ensure the maximum impact of the exercise.

“The effort of the distribution is to ensure robust security protocol throughout the process as officers will closely monitor the entire supply chain to prevent any misuse or possible diversion of food items,” said comptroller-general of customs, Wale Adeniyi, at the flag-off of the rice distribution in Lagos on Thursday.