The recent brutal killing of 16 northern travellers by a mob in Uromi, Edo State, is highly condemnable. Such bestiality was for stone-age era and should not be condoned in a civilized and modern society. Uromi and some other parts of Edo State have been under the spate of insecurity for a long time now. Reports are widespread about the atrocities of kidnappers and herdsmen in the area. Farmers reportedly avoid going to their farms for fear of attacks by herdsmen who also harvest food crops for their cows. There has not been any strong response from security agencies.
But this should not be a justification for the Uromi savagery. The travellers were said to be on their way to Kano from Port Harcourt for Sallah celebrations. A local vigilance group had stopped them for a routine search. During the search, the local security outfit found a Dane gun on them. They concluded that they were kidnappers. Pronto, a crowd had gathered. They tied the victims to used tyres, doused them with petrol and set them ablaze. Eleven of the 27 travellers were reportedly rescued.
Incidentally, a few days after the killings, the police allegedly embarked on indiscriminate arrest and extortion of residents. This is wrong. The same police were nowhere to be found when the incident occurred. The Ojuromi of Uromi, His Royal Highness, Zaiki Anslem Eidonojie II, has decried the situation. According to him, “the fact that such a barbaric act lasted for hours without any police response is deeply troubling. It highlights the glaring lapses in security and the urgent need for reinforcements.”
The Uromi monarch expressed deep sorrow over the killings in his domain and described the act as jungle justice. He commiserated with the families of the victims and the people of Kano. Some other prominent Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu, also condemned the action and called for swift justice. Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State went further to suspend the vigilance group and the commander of the Edo state security corps. He also visited Kano and Abuja to help douse the tension that was already building up. We commend the governor for the mature way he handled the situation.
Unfortunately, some northern groups have threatened reprisals. One of the groups, known as Concerned Northern Forum (CNF), even urged northerners living in the South to return to the north. This is as condemnable as the killing of the travellers.
Some other reactions to the killings reflect the deepening fault lines in Nigeria. Some citizens wondered why this particular killing drew the ire of the North whereas there have been many killings of people by herdsmen and other terrorists from the North. Instances were given about last February’s killing of 15 people and the destruction of millions of naira worth of properties by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Nkalaha community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Some drew attention to the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto in 2022. This is fallacious! Under no circumstance should we condone evil or compromise the rule of law.
We condemn the resort to jungle justice anywhere in Nigeria and urge the Federal Government to protect the lives of all Nigerians. We must avoid such horrendous acts in the future. While Section 33 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution guarantees right to life, Section 41 guarantees the right to freedom of movement. We must respect these human rights of all Nigerians.
Security agencies, especially the police, must be alive to their responsibilities. These avoidable killings have underscored the failure of intelligence and security apparatuses in Nigeria.
The ineptitude of the police over the years partly led to the formation of quasi-security outfits like Amotekun, Hisbah, Agunechemba and Ebubeagu by some state governments. But these groups must be monitored and made to conform to the rules of engagement. There should be total overhaul of the outfits. Perhaps, this is the time to quicken the pace for creation of state police.
The dire security situation across the country calls for the reorganization of the country’s security architecture. The Federal Government should restructure the police as an institution to make it more responsive to the security threats in the country. Government should not only recruit more personnel for the force, it should ensure they are well equipped with modern weapons to enable them to meet up with the trend in modern policing.
We call on the government to ensure that justice is served in the Uromi and other extra-judicial killings in Nigeria. The families of the victims should be compensated. Citizens should be made to understand that no sane society operates without the rule of law.