Widespread Condemnation As ‘Mob kills 16 hunters’ heading to Kano in Edo
… Tinubu Orders Security Agencies To Fish Out The Killers
…Amnesty International demands probe
….14 suspects arrested – Police
At least 16 hunters of northern extraction travelling from Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, were on Thursday reportedly attacked and killed by members of a local vigilante group in Edo state.
The incident happened on the Uromi/Obajana expressway under the Esan north-east LGA of Edo.
Salient Times understands that a truck carrying 25 travellers from Elele, Rivers, was intercepted by a vigilante group in Uromi.
According to witnesses, some travellers were found with locally made dane guns which raised suspicion among the vigilante members.
The travellers were attacked and lynched after some vigilante members raised the alarm, suspecting that they were kidnappers.
Ten of the travellers were rescued, while two who were injured were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo, who visited the town on Friday to assess the situation, expressed dismay over the heinous killings.
“He condemned the actions of the vigilante members in the strongest terms and promised justice for the victims,” Fred Itua, the chief press secretary to the governor, said in a statement.
“The governor said there is no excuse for the vigilante members to take the law into their hands without recourse to statutory law enforcement agencies.
“The governor directed the state police command and other security agencies to conduct thorough and speedy investigations into the matter and bring those found culpable to book. He also charged the community to work with the security agencies to fish out the culprits.
“Governor Okpebholo also commended community leaders, especially the leadership of the Arewa community in the area, for descalating tensions and handling the situation with restraint.”
Fish Out Killers Of Travellers In Edo, Tinubu Orders Security Agencies
President Bola Tinubu has given marching orders to security agencies to fish out those behind the killing of some travellers in Edo State.
The victims, who were said to be travelling from Port Harcourt to the northern part of Nigeria, were allegedly killed by a mob in Uromi, Edo State, on Thursday.
While reacting to the incident, President Bola Tinubu described it as dastardly.
“The President, who expressed shock at the dastardly act on Thursday, directed Police and other security agencies to conduct swift and thorough investigations and punish the suspected culprits,” presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement on Friday.
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.
Tinubu condoled with the families of the affected people and assured them “that criminals would not be allowed to shed the blood of innocent Nigerians in vain”.
Amnesty International demands probe
Amnesty International has called for an immediate and transparent investigation into the gruesome lynching of at least 16 travelers in Uromi, Edo State.
The victims, who were hunters traveling from Rivers State to Kano for Eid celebrations, were reportedly brutally beaten, tied to used tires, doused in petrol, and set ablaze by a mob consisting of vigilante members and armed youths.
In a statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account, Amnesty International Nigeria described the attack as horrific mob violence, stating that viral videos of the incident showed the victims pleading for their lives while their attackers carried out the barbaric killings amid cheering crowds.
No Police Intervention as Victims Were Lynched
According to Amnesty International, despite the prolonged and public nature of the killings, there was no police intervention to stop the mob. The group expressed deep concern over the growing trend of vigilante groups in towns and villages along major highways, blocking roads and engaging in unlawful activities, including extrajudicial killings.
“The horrific mob violence that happened in Uromi is part of the rising trend of vigilante groups taking the law into their own hands. The failure of security agencies to intervene is deeply troubling and must be addressed urgently,” the statement read.
Amnesty International has demanded that the Edo State government and security agencies launch a full-scale, independent investigation into the attack. The rights group stressed that justice must be served, and those responsible must be held accountable to prevent further incidents of jungle justice.
This latest act of mob violence has sparked widespread outrage, with calls from both local and international organizations for stronger measures to curb lawlessness and extrajudicial killings in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the police in Edo State, South-south Nigeria, have arrested about 14 suspects in connection with the alleged lynching of at least 16 travellers in the state.
Reacting to the issue, Moses Yamu, the police spokesperson in Edo State, stated that the arrested suspects found some locally made guns with the travellers, sparking suspicion that they were kidnappers.
According to a report by TheCable newspaper, Mr Yamu stated this in a statement on Friday.
He said the vigilante members raised the alarm, “claiming the travellers were suspected kidnappers.”
“In the course of investigations, 14 suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime. An emergency meeting was also convened with stakeholders and community members,” he explained.
Mr Yamu added that a unit of mobile police force and other tactical teams have been deployed to the area to stop any further disruption of law and order.
