This archive report was first published on 18 April 2020.
On April 18, 2020, a devastating stampede occurred in Gamboru, a town near the Cameroon border in northeastern Nigeria, leaving at least five women and children dead.
The tragedy unfolded when thousands of displaced people gathered at a primary school for handouts of 5,000 nairas (approximately $13) and clothing supplied by Borno state governor Babagana Umara Zulum.
As the distribution was about to start, a large crowd surged forward, resulting in a crush that led to the deaths of at least five women and children, with seven others injured, according to a medical source.
However, Umar Kachalla, a local anti-jihadist militia leader, reported that 12 women and children lost their lives in the stampede, with seven others suffering severe injuries.
Gamboru has been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram insurgents since August 2014, and the town has been a hub for displaced people, with over 70,000 living in squalid camps and relying on food aid from international charities.
The Boko Haram insurrection has claimed the lives of 36,000 people and displaced 1.8 million from their homes in the northeast, with the violence also spreading to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
