From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Esan Descendants Assembly (EDA) Worldwide has expressed deep sorrow and outrage over the brutal murder of several Nigerians who were travelling home for the Sallah festival in Uromi, Edo State.
The Assembly, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Prof. G.R.A. Okogun, and General Secretary, Saintmoses Eromosele (SME), condemned the killings, calling the act a “senseless tragedy” and an “abomination that has brought shame upon the land”.
“Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six—but multiple human lives, flesh, spirit, and bone—were reduced to ashes,” the statement lamented, describing the horror as a stain on the conscience of Esanland.
The Assembly, while distancing the broader Esan community from the heinous act, asserting it may have been carried out by “non-indigenous residents among us,” acknowledged the collective moral burden of the act, adding, “This tragedy weighs on us all, settling like the dry-season dust upon every roof—guilty or innocent.”
It expressed profound remorse over the killings and extended heartfelt apologies to the families of the victims, saying, “Our apology is not out of mere politeness but from the anguish of shared humanity. No man deserves to be judged by fire. No mother should be handed her child’s ashes.”
Beyond condemnation, the Assembly highlighted the worsening security situation in Uromi and its environs, warning that residents now live in perpetual fear amid rampant kidnappings, lawlessness, and government inaction.
“For several planting seasons, especially in recent years, Uromi and neighbouring towns have groaned under the weight of unchecked criminality: kidnappers striking day and night, rapists and bandits violating homes and farmlands, killers roaming freely through markets,” the statement said.
The EDA decried the “deafening silence” of security agencies and government officials, lamenting delayed interventions and the unfulfilled promise of the Esan Mobile Police Squadron Barracks.
The Assembly, while acknowledging that mob actions often stem from deep-seated frustrations with insecurity, firmly denounced vigilante justice, saying, “Justice may have been distant, but revenge is no solution. We must not descend into barbarism. Esanland is not a jungle.”
It emphasised Esan’s legacy of dignity and honour and cited the region’s revered kings, scholars, warriors, healers, and religious figures who have shaped Nigeria and the world.
The Assembly called on Governor Monday Okpebholo, the Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army’s 4 Mechanised Brigade, and all relevant authorities to take decisive action to secure Edo Central.
“They must not only rise in outrage after the blood has been spilt but with determination to prevent such horrors from occurring. They must protect the living with the same urgency with which they now count the dead.
“Enough blood has been shed. Enough tears have fallen. Let us reject mob justice—never again must we take the law into our own hands. Let us extinguish this fire before it engulfs us all,” the statement counselled.