File photo used only for illustrative purpose

No less than nine persons are now feared dead, and numerous others sustained injuries during a stampede that reportedly broke out at the residence of Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko while distributing Sallah palliatives.

However, there was no official confirmation from the relevant security agencies as they all kept mute on the development.

The incident was alleged to have occurred on Thursday’s night.

Among the dead is said to be a volunteer operative with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) identified as Fatima Bala.

A colleague of the deceased operative who spoke on condition of anonymity said she was attached to the Gawon Nama office of the agency.

“We lost her while rescuing a small boy caught off in the stampede. She rescued the boy but eventually lost her life because the crowd was unprecedented,” the source said.

Similarly, another officer who confirmed the incident told our reporter that, the deceased was no more with them but had gone to the area to visit a friend.

“She was once our volunteer staff. Our investigation revealed that, she was in the area to visit a friend. Unfortunately she was among the people that lost their lives during the stampede,” he said

Both the spokesmen of the Sokoto state’s commands of NSCDC and the police have declined comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, the main opposition party in the state, People Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the police to investigate the matter to forestall its future reoccurrence.

Sources at the Sokoto Specialist Hospital confirmed to our reporter that some of the victims were brought for treatment.