Every year, the Saraki family and the Kwara PDP chapter organize a gift giving session for members of the public. The Saraki’s benevolently dole out bags of rice, foodstuffs and even livestock. However every year lives are lost during this gift giving spree.
According to a report from Premium Times:
The yearly sallah gifts distribution by the Sarakis and the party have of late led to multiple deaths.
On May 27, 2011, several people died at the Mandate House, Ilorin, as they scrambled for rice and other items.
At least 11 others died in a similar fashion in November 2010, but only four deaths were also confirmed by the Kwara government at the time.
While Mr. Saraki and the state PDP routinely issue condolence messages after each incident, there is no indication that the tragedies were thoroughly probed by the police or any other relevant agency of government.
In this years Sallah Santa spree, about a dozen people were reportedly killed. The Police are also said to be covering up the investigation on “orders from above”.
Premium Times investigation also revealed that in a bid to cover up last Wednesday’s deaths, the case was transferred from Divisional Police Officer in charge of the jurisdiction, where the incident occurred to the zonal command in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.