ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - A minimum of 13 people, consisting of four kids, were eliminated in 2 different stampedes in Nigeria as big crowds collected to gather food and clothes products dispersed at annual Christmas events, the authorities said Saturday.

The 2 mishaps came days after another such stampede in Africa ´ s most populous country, amidst a growing pattern by regional companies, churches and people to organize charity occasions ahead of Christmas, as the country fights with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Ten people were killed in the first stampede in the early hours at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, an upmarket part of the capital, Abuja, cops spokesperson Josephine Adeh said in a statement, including that more than 1,000 people have been left from the church.

There was a crowd surge at one of the church gates, as dozens attempted to get in the properties at around 4 a.m., hours before the gift products were to be shared, witnesses said, mentioning that some had actually been waiting since the previous night.

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

Three people died in a similar crush later on in the southeastern Anambra state's Okija town at a fundraiser arranged by a benefactor, the state police said.

"The event had not even started when the rush began," police spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga said. There could be more deaths tape-recorded as officers investigate the incident, he said.

Viral video that seemed from the Abuja scene showed lifeless bodies pushing the ground as individuals yelled for aid. Some of the injured have been dealt with and discharged while others continue to get medical care, cops said.

The church canceled the charity drive with bags of rice and clothing items still organized within the facilities.

As the church held a wedding after the crowd was evacuated, the pain and sadness stayed palpable even as friends and families collected for wedding event images.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu revealed his sympathy with the victims' families and asked states and relevant authorities to enforce rigorous crowd control steps.

The current stampedes in Nigeria have actually raised concerns about security measures in such occasions. Several children were eliminated on Wednesday today when a regional structure arranged a well-attended funfair to distribute present products and food to kids in southwestern Oyo state.

After the most recent catastrophe, the police in Abuja announced that previous authorization needs to be acquired before such fundraiser are arranged.

The present economic challenge under Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who assured "restored hope" when he was sworn into office in May 2023, is blamed on surging inflation that is at a 28-year high and the government ´ s economic policies that have actually pressed the local currency to tape low against the dollar.

Frustration over the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in mass protests in current months. In August, at least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds of others were apprehended at demonstrations demanding much better chances and jobs for youths.