Families and colleagues of 16 hunters who were lynched by a mob in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, have warned they will seek revenge if the government fails to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killings, according to reports in Nigeria’s Punch newspaper.
The victims, who were travelling from Port Harcourt in Rivers State to Kano for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr (Sallah) celebrations, were intercepted and killed by local vigilantes who suspected them of being kidnappers. The incident has sparked widespread outrage across the country.
Saturday PUNCH reports that most of the slain hunters hailed from Toranke in the Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State. In separate interviews with the newspaper, friends and relatives of the victims said that only justice would alleviate their pain.
Alhaji Musa Dogo, a community leader and hunter from Toranke, told Saturday PUNCH that the government must bring the perpetrators to justice. “We cannot allow this to go unanswered. The hunters that were killed were our brothers. We trained together, fought criminals together, and protected our communities together,” he said. “If the government does not arrest and publicly prosecute those responsible, we will take matters into our own hands. We know how to track down those who commit evil, and we will not hesitate if justice is not served.”
Bala Danburan, a companion of Alhaji Musa Dogo, echoed these sentiments, telling Saturday PUNCH, “We know how to sneak into Uromi and take revenge ourselves if justice is not served. This is not a threat; it is a promise. We have buried too many of our own, and we cannot continue like this. We are hunters, not cowards. If the government refuses to act, we will do what is necessary.”
The hunters, speaking to Saturday PUNCH, also demanded that the case be transferred to a court in Kano State. They pointed to a previous instance where the Kano State Government reportedly handed over a suspect to the Bayelsa State Government over an alleged kidnapping, arguing for reciprocal treatment. “If they could request for a case to be handled in their state, why can’t we demand the same? This is a matter of fairness. We want the case brought here, where we can follow it closely and ensure that it is not swept under the carpet. The Edo government must cooperate if they want peace,” Alhaji Musa Dogo told Saturday PUNCH.
Another hunter and Bunkure resident, Alhaji Usman Bako, expressed his anger to Saturday PUNCH over the killings, stating that the hunters were ambushed while returning north for the Sallah festivities. He criticised the government for allegedly neglecting hunters and other local security groups who risk their lives fighting crime. “If the government refuses to fish out and punish those behind this massacre and continues to ignore us, then they are pushing us to the wall. We may be forced to withdraw from joint operations. We will not continue to die in silence,” he told Saturday PUNCH.
Saturday PUNCH also spoke with Malam Sani Umar, a resident whose younger brother, Yahaya Umar, was among those killed. Yahaya Umar reportedly left behind four children and a wife. “Yahaya was a man of courage, always willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of others. He believed in justice, and now he has been killed unjustly. We have been left with nothing but pain, and those who did this are still walking free. How can we accept this? How can we sleep knowing that the government has not acted?” he told the newspaper.
Hafsat Ibrahim, who lost her son Nasiru, tearfully told Saturday PUNCH, “Nasiru was the backbone of our family… We demand justice! The killers must be punished according to Islamic rites, and the government should compensate our families. That is the only way to show us that our loved ones did not die in vain.”
While acknowledging a recent condolence visit by the governors of Edo and Kano states, Malam Sani Umar told Saturday PUNCH, “But a visit alone is not enough. We need real action. We need to see arrests. We need to see these people prosecuted and punished for what they did. If the government does not act swiftly, it means they are encouraging more of such killings. We are not just mourning our loved ones, we are demanding justice, and we will not stop until it is given.”
Meanwhile, Saturday PUNCH reported palpable tension in Sokoto State on Friday following reports of protests over the hunters’ deaths. Many businesses in areas dominated by non-indigenes, particularly the Igbo community, were reportedly closed as a precautionary measure due to fears of attacks.
The Edo State government, through the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Fred Itua, told Saturday PUNCH that Governor Monday Okpehbolo is working to address security challenges and that the amount of compensation for the families of the hunters would be made public once finalised.
The area in Uromi where the lynching occurred was reportedly deserted on Friday, according to Saturday PUNCH, with residents fearing arrest or reprisal attacks. A local resident told the newspaper that the case had been transferred to Abuja and those arrested were being taken there. He also expressed the frustration of locals with the activities of kidnappers and criminal herders in the region.
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