The killing Thursday, March 27, 2025, of 16 hunters travelling to Kano for the Eid el-Fitr celebration at Udune Efandion, an Uromi community in the Esan North local government area of Edo state is as barbaric as it is condemnable. The killing was perpetrated by members of a vigilante group, claiming they suspected the victims, who were of northern extraction, specifically Kano, to be kidnappers on account of the dane guns found in their possession.
In a swift reaction, President Bola Tinubu expressed shock at the incident and directed the police and other security agencies to conduct thorough investigations and punish the culprits. He commiserated with the families of the victims and assured them that criminals would not be allowed to shed the blood of innocent Nigerians in vain. The president noted that jungle justice has no place in Nigeria, and all Nigerians have the freedom to move freely in any part of the country.
In compliance with the president’s directive, the Edo state police command said 14 suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime. The spokesman of the command, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Moses Yamu, who made the disclosure, said justice would be served in respect of the attack.
According to reports, a truck carrying 25 travellers from Elele, Rivers state, was intercepted by a vigilante group at Uromi, during which some of the travellers were found with locally made dane guns. This raised suspicion among the local security men. While this was ongoing, some vigilante members raised the alarm, claiming the travellers were suspected kidnappers. This led some community members and passers-by to attack and lynch 16 occupants of the truck. The truck was also set on fire.
Police operatives from the Uromi Division got wind of the incident and swiftly moved to the scene. Ten of the travellers were rescued, while two were wounded and taken to the hospital.
The outrage which trailed the Uromi killings across religious, regional and political divide of the country underscores the gravity of the act and its potential consequences on the nation’s fragile peace and socio-economic development. Worried by the dastardly attack, Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo state, who called the attack barbaric, visited the scene to assess the situation.
The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) said it was horrific murder. It said extrajudicial violence was entirely unacceptable and a gross violation of human rights. The chairman of the forum and Governor of Gombe state, Muhammadu Yahaya, said the action of the vigilante group members undermined the rule of law and “the very fabric of our society.”
Yahaya said the forum was “deeply disturbed by the loss of innocent lives and the horrific manner in which these individuals were attacked. “It is imperative that the relevant authorities conduct a full and thorough investigation into this senseless act. The perpetrators must be identified, arrested, and brought to justice swiftly.”
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) asked the authorities to “launch a full-scale investigation into this sad incident and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice”. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Edo state chapter claimed that the killings occurred because Governor Okpebholo has been negligent in securing the state. It cited what it called repeated killings in the state since the governor’s assumption of office.
Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee in the state, Anthony Aziegbemi, said: “These are needless deaths, far too many and we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take immediate action to prevent further loss of lives and ensure the safety and security of Edo state and its people.”
The Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun directed the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Sadiq Abubakar, to take over the case and ensure a thorough, impartial, and expedited investigation.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said it was regrettable that members of the vigilance group who allegedly killed the hunters did not allow for due process or proper investigation into their claims that the victims were kidnappers before descending on them.
The police said that the unlawful possession of firearms remains a criminal offence under Nigerian law. It advised individuals in possession of unlicensed firearms to report to the nearest police station to surrender such weapons or initiate the appropriate licensing process. The police warned the public to desist from taking the law into their hands and report suspicious activities to lawful authorities
Blueprint is dismayed that an organised security outfit could be so brazenly negligent as to torch the lives of 16 innocent travelers without carrying out due diligence. This dastardly act reinforces the need to restructure the nation’s security architecture with a view to fostering collaboration among security agencies at the national, state and local government levels, as well as the private sector.
President Tinubu, the governor of Edo state and his Kano state counterpart, Abba Kabir Yusuf, deserve commendation for their proactive response to the Uromi massacre. In fact, the intervention of Governor Yusuf in assuaging frayed nerves helped a great deal to prevent a reprisal attack in Kano.
We commiserating with the victims of the Uromi killing and urge the police to leave no stone unturned in apprehending, prosecuting and procuring the conviction of the killers of the 16 hunters in Edo state. Subjecting the culprits to the full wrath of the law will, without a doubt, serve as a deterrent to like-minds. Nigeria cannot afford a descent to the Hobbesian state of nature where life is “nasty, brutish and short”.