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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 individuals, including 4 children, were eliminated in 2 separate stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds collected to gather food and clothing items distributed at annual Christmas events, the cops said Saturday.

The 2 mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populous nation, amid a growing trend by local companies, churches and individuals to arrange charity events ahead of Christmas, as the nation battles with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten individuals were eliminated in the very first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, cops representative Josephine in a declaration, including that more than 1,000 individuals have been evacuated from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as lots attempted to enter the premises at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses said, explaining that some had been waiting considering that the previous night.

"The method they were hurrying to get in, some people were falling and some of them were old," Loveth Inyang, a witness. Inyang said he handled to rescue one infant as his mom had a hard time in the surge.

Three individuals died in a comparable crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a charity drive organized by a benefactor, the state authorities said.

"The occasion had actually not even begun when the rush began," authorities spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga stated. There might be more deaths taped as officers investigate the incident, he said.

Viral footage that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies resting on the ground as people shouted for help. Some of the injured have actually been treated and released while others continue to receive treatment, police said.

The church canceled the fundraiser with bags of rice and clothes products still arranged within the properties.

As the church held a marriage event after the crowd was evacuated, the pain and sadness remained palpable even as households and buddies collected for wedding event pictures.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu expressed his compassion with the victims' families and asked states and pertinent authorities to impose stringent crowd control measures.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have raised concerns about security procedures in such events. Several kids were eliminated on Wednesday this week when a regional foundation organized a well-attended funfair to disperse gift products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the most recent catastrophe, the cops in Abuja revealed that previous authorization must be acquired before such fundraiser are organized.

The current financial difficulty under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who guaranteed "renewed hope" when he was sworn into office in May 2023, is blamed on rising inflation that is at a 28-year high and the federal government ´ s financial policies that have pushed the local currency to record low against the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has led to mass protests in recent months. In August, a minimum of 20 individuals were shot dead and hundreds of others were arrested at demonstrations requiring much better opportunities and jobs for youths.