Former Governor Peter Obi has lamented a series of fatal stampedes witnessed in some states and the Federal Capital Territory recently.

Dozens of people have been killed in the stampedes as they struggled to get a piece of food items at events organised to provide palliatives to starving Nigerians.

“I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragic loss of lives in desperate searches for food,” Mr Obi said, referring to the Ibadan, Anambra and Abuja stampedes.

He added, “These tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society. The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.”

Lamenting economic hardship under Mr Tinubu’s watch, Mr Obi stated, “How do we explain that in a nation blessed with abundant resources, our people are dying of hunger in such numbers? How is it possible that we cannot feed our citizens despite the vast, fertile lands our nation is endowed with? My heart bleeds.”