The management of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has raised a panel to examine circumstances surrounding the stampede and the casualties reported at its former zonal office in Yaba, Lagos State.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, directed the panel headed by a management member to identify the stampede victims and work out modalities for providing support and assistance for their immediate families.
In the same vein, NCS has suspended the exercise to commiserate with the families of the deceased.
At the same time, officials have returned to the drawing board to fine-tune strategies for resuming the exercise without a hitch.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, the National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the NCS would thoroughly investigate the stampede and tidy up loose ends.
He said, “This is a deliberate management decision to enable us to produce a more robust and comprehensive action that will not defeat the original intention of supporting Nigerians.
“We commiserate with the families that lost their loved ones as we appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all Nigerians.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families during this challenging time, and we assure them of our unwavering support. We are working with families and caregivers to establish contact and engage directly with the victims’ families.
“Following this incident, an internal investigation has commenced to understand the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate event.”
About seven persons died in a stampede during the distribution of the rice last week.
