The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Uromi

  • Uromi lynch mob and rising insecurity

    Uromi lynch mob and rising insecurity

    •  By Mike Kebonkwu

    Uromi killing is a consequence of massive security failure, absence of the rule of law in the country, lack of confidence in our law enforcement and security agencies and drift into anarchy. These are factors and invitations to self-help and mob justice.  Uromi is happening in Benue State, Plateau State, Kaduna State, Katsina State, the entire stretch of Northeast, Sokoto State and the Southeast.  People resort to mob or jungle justice whenever there is collapse of law and order and the state becomes lethargic and unable to provide security and protection of lives and property. 

    Who were the victims of the Uromi killing apart from the general tag of ethnic identity of being from a particular geo-political zone and going on a religious holiday for celebration?  Where were they coming from, and were they found with any incriminating thing to suggest they were criminals by any means, or just  innocent wayfarers and victims of mistaken identity?   To be clear, it does not even matter whether they had weapons or not; mob justice and unlawful killing is punishable by law.  You cannot arrest someone and conclude on his guilt and mete out punishment whatever evidence you found on him. 

    The Uromi incident as it is customary is being viewed through ethnic lens and religious prism without any attempt to conduct thorough investigation.  And finally, the incident   is wearing political toga with over-sized cap with the governor of Edo State going to commiserate with his Kano counterpart on the sad incident and promising compensation for the families and punishment for the culprits.  No preliminary investigation; yes even though mob action is unlawful ab initio. 

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    Well, it is good to douse political tension and prevent reprisal but first, there ought to have been some form of investigation.  There have been unwarranted killings and kidnappings in our local communities without response from security agents although this does not also mean people should take the laws into their hands. The Uromi killing should not be treated in isolation if we must deal with the rising tempest of insecurity.  Government should first disarm ethnic militias that have virtually become private armies in their regions and across the country. The question of marauding armed herdsmen, wherever they are coming from should be decisively contained; they should be forcefully disarmed.   The clips we watch daily on social media platforms of armed gangs brandishing offensive military grade weapons and mounting road blocks on major highways or taking over some communities in the North and Southeast is a symptom of a failing state. 

    As it is today, you cannot travel on the roads without fear of being kidnapped or killed whether ransom is paid or is delayed.  People are abducted or kidnapped from their homes, farms and business places.  Yet, we are talking about food security when farmers can no longer go to farm.  The media hypes from government and security agencies about the number of bandits and insurgents neutralized or killed does not reflect the reality and objective condition on ground.

    While some analysts say the victims of Uromi killing were hunters, others said they were found with huge sums of money in different currencies.  However, there is no whimper or scintilla of evidence from the government to shed light on the issues.  At the end, nobody knows or appears to know what the issues are apart from the  the usual ethnic refrain of some Muslim youths travelling for the Sallah celebration being killed and their bodies set ablaze at Uromi in Edo State. Just to ignite ethnic conflagration!

    Sadly, Edo State and Esan communities to which Uromi belongs had become a killing field as a result of activities of marauding herdsmen and kidnappers without intervention by the security agents.  This is also true of most communities in the surrounding contiguous states of the South without exception, up to Ondo and Ekiti states, and Oyo in Oyo State.  Senseless killings and kidnappings have become national malaise from North to South, and East to West.  Should people fold their arms and watch while they are being slaughtered?  The people have right to collective self-defence whenever there is invasion of their communities by armed men. 

    If the story of hunting is correct, what weapons were they found with and were they licensed?  Again, in the midst of insecurity across the country, why would there be such herd movement and exodus of hunters in their numbers across regions and communities under siege by kidnappers and bandits like Edo State and indeed many other states? There is something that is not just adding up!

    If our laws are working and the law enforcement agents and the judiciary are living up to their biddings, citizens will not take laws into their hands and employ jungle justice.  But where there is a perception of cover or obvious protection of criminals because of their tribes and connection, it is an invitation to anarchy. 

    Just as one was contemplating and reviewing all the reactions and comments on the Uromi killing, another Uromi was playing out in Jos, Plateau State.  There is also Uromi going on in Benue and Kaduna states; people continue to count their losses as many of them are displaced and living in IDP camps. 

    We have been witnessing a spiralling insecurity since 1999 at a level we had never witnessed before. Security agents appear either compromised or complicit in the security gap in the country.  We are drifting into a state of anarchy even with tribal militias masquerading as vigilantes across the geopolitical zones. Boko Haram, banditry and armed herdsmen are ethnic response to political issues manipulated by politicians and elite as bargaining chips.  The same is true of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), “Unknown gunmen”, Eastern Security Network (ESN) and Ebube Agu in the Southeast.  These groups are the forces behind insecurity that have turned kidnapping into a thriving industry and also attacking the economic arteries of the state. 

    The police and security forces who are supposed to hunt down criminals prefer to negotiate and rehabilitate them.  To negotiate with criminals and insurgents is a sign of the weakness of the state to exercise its coercive power to protect citizens. Politicians and clerics engage in advocacy for bandits, insurgents and other criminal gangs across the country for religious and tribal reasons with the exception of Southwest where the political leaders and elite have wisely reined in the Odua People Congress (OPC) for good. 

    It must bear repeating that Uromi killing should not be treated in isolation.  We must go further to disarm ethnic militias masquerading as vigilantes; Boko Haram, bandits, armed herders operating from the north, Middle Belt down to the south; “Unknown gunmen”,  IPOB, Eastern Security Network and Ebube-Agu operating from the Southeast. 

    We should also be ready to retool the military and make it operationally effective with enhanced capacity without political interference and manipulation.  We should also not ignore the need for the equipment of the Nigeria Police Force  as first line of defence and protection of lives and property.  If bandits attack military convoys and their bases without consequences or kidnap a retired or serving officer or soldier without repercussion, then we are not winning the war against insecurity.  The former NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Tsiga admitted that his family and friends raised money to pay the huge ransom demanded by the bandits.   He could not have been lying about it so why would any sane or rational institution refute that?  We cannot just continue like this! 

    Where “herdsmen” traverse regions and occupied forests and terrorize communities with offensive military grade weapons slung on their backs, then there is a huge national security problem.  The stage we are now, individuals and communities do not have much choice but to help themselves when they are vulnerable; after all, criminals arrested in the past and handed over to the security agents were never brought to book but allowed to go scot-free.  We cannot continue the funeral dirges, mass burial and payment of ransom to criminal gangs. The security agents need not lay siege to Uromi for collective punishment and make them scapegoats.  Government should provide security for lives and property in order to put an end to lynch mob, jungle justice and drift to anarchy.

    • Kebonkwu Esq is an Abuja-based attorney.

  • Northern governors and Uromi killings

    Northern governors and Uromi killings

    • By Ibrahim Mustapha

    Sir: The gruesome murder of 16 hunters who were in transit from Rivers to Kano State for Sallah festival, in Uromi community, Edo State, has once again brought to fore, the recurring issue of jungle justice in the land. The hunters were spotted, stopped and lynched by vigilantes and other mobs on the pretext that they were kidnappers.

    Before the incident, many cases of extra judicial killings have been reported in the country with the culprits getting away with them. At the slightest provocation, innocent lives are snuffed out and while the culprits are left to continue with their normal lives as if nothing has happened. In a saner society, the perpetrators of jungle justice would have been swiftly apprehended and brought to book to serve as deterrent to others. The inability of government to prosecute those engaged in mob action has emboldened the menace making it a recurring one.

    While the barbaric killing has attracted condemnation and promises by government to prosecute the culprits, it has become imperative for our northern hunters to know that hunting is not only old fashioned, it is no longer profitable and rewarding. It is advisable that they either change business or confine their profession within the north. In as much as Section 4 of the 1999 constitution confers the inalienable right to move to any part of the country, the waves of insecurity and rampant cases of kidnapping remain a major stumbling block not only for hunting which is viewed with deep suspicion, but also other legitimate businesses as well. This is even more so now that some southern states, like their northern counterparts, are battling with insecurity particularly the scourge of farmers/herdsmen clashes and kidnapping.

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    This, however, does not give licence to mob actions or killing of innocent lives. This is where one had expected the Uromi’s vigilante group to hand over the suspected hunters to police for further investigation.

    All said, the killing of the hunters has, again, brought into focus the impact of policies being implemented by the northern state governors. The governors’ policies have failed to address the myriads of the problems plaguing the region. Poverty has pushed millions of northern youths to southern part of the country into menial jobs as gatemen, nail cutters, wheelbarrow pushers, hunting, water vendors etc. If the right economic policies had been created by our northern governors for the youth, the probability of thousands of northern youths migrating southwards for menial jobs will be minimal. The Northern Governors Forum should go beyond mere condemnation of jungle justice against the hunters to implement far-reaching policies aimed at addressing unemployment and high poverty in the region.

    •Ibrahim Mustapha,

     Pambegua, Kaduna State.

  • A house divided against itself

    A house divided against itself

    • By Ike Willie-Nwobu

    Sir: The heinous crimes perpetrated against 16 hunters in Uromi Edo State on March 25 have continued to highlight the massive challenges Nigeria faces in healing the many wounds it has as a country.

    While there is a near consensus that the hunters who were traveling from Port Harcourt to Edo before a murderous gang of vigilantes mistook them for vultures should never have met such a gruesome end, the conversation especially on social media has fetched out Nigeria’s historical fault lines, fastening them to the national fabric at a time healing rather than ethnic histrionics should be the headlines. While the condemnation of the killings has been unanimous, attention has been diverted towards the context of where the murdered hunters hailed from, where they were traveling to, and where they were burnt to death. The pages of history have also been opened to recall another crime that whipped up a national trauma.

    In 2022, in heart-rending circumstances, Deborah Samuel, a student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto State was lynched for blasphemy, right in the school where she was a student.

    As shock spread through the country, Nigerians were alarmed as some seeming justifications brought forward for her killings. In the same measure, many Nigerians were rattled by the silence of many who should have spoken up against the murder but did not. Predictably, the culprits were never caught. Today, the fact that many of those people have spoken up against the killings, has fuelled accusations of hypocrisy and double standards.

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    It does not take much to see that the divisions in Nigeria run deep. These divisions which are defined by their toxicity usually find teeth in threats. Conversations quickly become angry and agitated, with the result being that ideas are hardly ever communicated in such a way as to create dialogue.

    This is turn creates distrust and even more disagreements.

    What would it take to build the Nigeria envisioned in the dreams of the country’s founding fathers? What would it take to build a Nigeria devoid of the dangerous divisions bred by different tongues and tribes? Is it possible for Nigerians to shed their tribal and religious affiliations and consider the task of nation building as paramount?

    To realize a country where people consider themselves as citizens and patriots before tribesmen, those who find themselves in government must lead the way. By policies and education, they must strive to foster the Nigerian spirit of unity in diversity as a door to common progress and greater aspiration.

    No country that has developed through national cohesion ever stumbled its way to that state. Nigerians have to be intentional about national cohesion as a criterion for national development.

    •Ike Willie-Nwobu,

    Ikewilly9@gmail.com

  • The Uromi killings

    The Uromi killings

    The killing of 16 travellers of northern extraction by a vigilante group in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State, has exposed the dangers in the quasi security outfits that emerged in response to the festering insecurity in the country.

    More than anything, the chilling incident highlights scant regard to law and order, due process and sanctity of the human life. In it can also be located a culture of violence that is increasingly enveloping this country and increasingly threatening its social fabric. If this culture of violence, mistrust and easy resort to self-help is not urgently stemmed, it may soon begin to define us as a people.

    But can we afford the relapse to a state of anomie without dire existential consequences? That is the searing question thrown up by the circumstances of the killing of the travelling hunters in the most dastardly and callous manner by the vigilante group. What were the issues?

    A group of northerners now officially identified as hunters were travelling from Port Harcourt in Rivers State to Kano State in a truck. Somewhere in Uromi, Edo State, their vehicle was flagged down by a vigilante group ostensibly for a routine security check. They ordered the driver and passengers down and proceeded to search the truck. In the process, they discovered some locally made guns and hunting tools.

    The discovery sparked off suspicion with the vigilante concluding that the travellers were kidnappers especially as some undisclosed sums of money were found in their possession. They may have also been influenced in their conclusions by incidents of kidnapping for ransom rampant in the country including the axis the travellers were accosted.

    What followed defied rationality and will continue to assail public sensibilities for a very long time. The vigilante group descended heavily on the travellers beating and visiting jungle justice on them even as their pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears.

    Soon, a mob gathered, lynched and set fire on the bodies of the travellers. It was a despicable scene to behold even as it raised questions as to what has become of our collective senses of empathy and regard for the sanctity of the human life. Sadly, as this act of bestiality and man’s inhumanity to his fellow man was going on, nothing was heard of the intervention of the security agencies to save the situation.

    Neither is there any record that the vigilante group alerted the security agencies on their discoveries and suspicion. In matters of this nature, the right thing is for the vigilante group to hand over the suspects to the police authorities for profiling and further investigations. Nothing of such happened. The laws of this country do not permit any person to take human life. Only the courts have that right as guaranteed by the constitution. But the vigilante group opted to take laws into their hands and levy jungle justice on the travellers.

    One of the victims who managed to escape narrated how they were made to lie down and mercilessly flogged by their traducers. He said he ran away when some of the people that gathered, probably out of sympathy, shouted that they should run for their lives. According to him, as he made to run, two of the vigilante men pursued him. But he outpaced them and hid in an uncompleted building from where he saw all that happened. He saw how his friend was so beaten that he could not run, only to be killed by the vigilante in the most inhuman manner.

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    The circumstances of the killings raised tempers and have been roundly condemned with demands on the security agencies to fish out the culprits to face the raw teeth of the law. Security agencies were quick to swing into action following President Tinubu’s directive to that effect. Arrests have been made and 14 suspects have been taken to Abuja to ensure proper interrogation.  Two other suspects said to be key to the investigations have also been apprehended.

    The swiftness and prompt response of the high echelon of the police to the incident is reassuring. That should be their standard response to such infractions anywhere they happen in the country.

    Before then, Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo had embarked on peace building mission to douse tempers inflamed by the incident. He visited his Kano State counterpart and families of the victims most of whom hail from two local government areas of Kano State. He also promised to aid the bereaved families.

    These are very reassuring measures that go to show the various levels of government can still rise up to their primary duty of maintaining law and order. It is also instructive that the response came at a time cascading insecurity across the country had begun to erode public confidence in the capacity of the government to maintain law and order; guarantees the sanctity of lives and property.

    But the investigations must be thorough and comprehensive for the country to identify and realistically address the issues that incubate incidents of this nature. One is the immediate response of security agencies in the areas where such killings take place. Nothing was heard of the role of the police and other security agencies in Uromi as the situation escalated.

    How come all the hullaballoo unfolded in the manner they did without any form of intervention from them? The role of the security agencies is a critical lead in the investigations. The responsible officials should be interrogated on the issue. They will definitely have something of value to the investigations.

    The role of the vigilante is another issue. Understandably, they were set up by the state and local governments to provide some form of security assistance in the wake of the assortment of security challenges that have continued to assail the country. It may be uncharitable to dismiss their place within the security architecture. But their operations in some states have lent themselves to brazen abuses with heavy toll on human lives.

    The Uromi incident is a serious case of such costly and avoidable abuses. There was also the killing a few years back, of seven wedding guests returning to their community in Otulu, Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State by gunmen suspected to be operatives of the Ebubeagu security outfit. They were riding back home on motorcycles when from nowhere, bullets were rained on them on suspicion that they were members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB.

    Such has been the excesses of quasi security outfits that go by various names across the country. This is in addition to many cases of unaccounted killings and disappearance of persons that are often blamed on them. This is the time to interrogate the type of training and mandate given to these quasi security outfits. Investigations will unravel whether their excesses and resort to jungle justice are as a result of weaknesses in their training or part of their brief. Such findings will aid in refining their operations for better effect and permanently put a stop to the brazen abuses that have taken serious toll on human life.

    The nature of hunting that brings a group of armed men from one far-flung state to another is a key issue of investigation. The Uromi vigilante discovered local guns and hunting tools in the vehicle and erroneously concluded that the travellers were either kidnappers or terrorists. All efforts to explain to them that they were hunters returning to Kano from Port Harcourt failed to convince them.

    They were apparently not convinced that people could travel from Kano to hunt in Rivers State that is predominantly a riverine state. It was a cultural mismatch and misunderstanding. Incidentally, this is not the first time such claims of hunting by a group of people wielding guns together with dogs marching into the forests in southern parts of the country has been challenged by the local communities.

    Not long ago, the Amotekun security outfit in Ondo State arrested 149 suspected criminals posing as hunters in three local government areas of the state. Even as they claimed to be hunters, they were at the time of their arrest found with different weapons concealed inside their luggage and kept in the truck. There was an earlier arrest and profiling of a similar incident in Delta State with the police authorities clearing them as hunters.   

    There was discomfort and outcry in Imo State when a group of northerners earlier offloaded by a trailer in some parts of Owerri, Imo State together with their dogs headed into the forests for what was said to be hunting expedition without clearance from the authorities. It is clear from these arrests, suspicions and mistrust that the manner of hunting that takes a group of northerners to states in the south for hunting expedition without clearance from the local authorities is largely misunderstood by the host communities.

    That may have been the situation in the Uromi incident. The people of Uromi may not be that heartless as the leader of the Arewa community in Edo State Badamasi Sally admitted: “it was the people of Uromi who rescued some of the victims from the assailants”. Rampant cases of kidnapping for ransom by criminals taking advantage of the forests may have played a role in the ensuing confusion. It is vital to highlight this dimension for the security agencies to interrogate. The times are dire and dangerous. Suspicion is everywhere as insecurity reigns supreme. Any activity capable of injecting a modicum of suspicion of complicity into the cycle of violence that has enveloped the country must be avoided at all costs. But the authorities must fish out and bring to book all those fanning embers of discord despite measures to douse tempers frayed by the unfortunate incident.

  • Uromi mob killings

    Uromi mob killings

    • Perpetrators must be fished out and punished

    Savage killings in Uromi, Edo State, recently grabbed the headlines, further highlighting Nigeria’s security challenges, ethnic prejudice, weak law enforcement, and other underlying issues.

     Sixteen travellers, who were described as hunters, were attacked and killed by a mob after vigilantes found Dane guns in their vehicle. A viral video of the tragic March 28 incident showed how the victims were overpowered, tied to used tyres, doused with petrol, and set ablaze. The locals had concluded that they were kidnappers. But there was no evidence to support such a conclusion.

    Mob action is condemnable. It cannot be justified by the alleged frequency of kidnap cases in the area, which possibly triggered the incident. 

    Indeed, official accounts confirmed that the victims were hunters, mostly from Torankawa village, Kano State, who were returning home for the Eid-al-Fitr celebration. The incident shows the importance of identity documents, which could have been useful in clarifying their identities. 

    They were travelling to Kano from Port Harcourt. “Our journey was peaceful from Port Harcourt until we reached Uromi, where trouble began,” one of the survivors of the attack, Dayyabu Yahya, narrated. “Vigilantes stopped us. I was seated in the front seat. They ordered our driver to step out of the vehicle, but he refused. In response, they flogged him. They also ordered the other passengers to get down, beating us before grouping us together.”

    He continued: “They inspected our belongings but found nothing suspicious—only some licensed Dane guns, which hunters use. There were about 27 passengers in the vehicle. I can’t say how many of us are missing, but I know that two passengers were hospitalised.”

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    Another survivor, Mustafa Ali Kassim, said “the vigilantes started beating us as we stepped out of the vehicle. They later stood back and allowed the locals to continue the assault while they watched. Realising that we would likely be killed, some of us ran for our lives—I was one of them.”

    Ethnicity may well be a factor in this tragedy. The victims were from the northern part of the country. The attack occurred in the southern part of the country and was carried out by southerners.  It is concerning that the mob took the law into their own hands. Suspicion is not guilt. The alleged kidnapping suspects should have been handed over to law enforcement personnel.

    The role of vigilantes in this incident underlines the failure of state actors who ought to be responsible for stop-and-search operations. Official security personnel would have acted differently. The authorities must ensure that vigilantes do not take over the roles of the security forces.

    Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo should be commended for his prompt intervention to defuse tension and discourage reprisal attacks.  He paid a condolence visit to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and they both visited Torankawa village, where most of the victims of the tragedy came from. He assured the people of Kano that justice would be served, adding that 14 suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident. He promised to pay compensation to the affected families.  This demonstrates empathetic leadership.  

    Importantly, he also played down ethnic prejudice and promoted unity, stating his commitment to maintaining harmony between the Hausa community in Edo and their hosts and stressing that the attack did not reflect the values of the state.

    He added that President Bola Tinubu “is deeply disturbed by this incident and has directed security agencies to spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to book.” This is a critical aspect of the incident. It is necessary to send a strong signal that mob action is unacceptable and will be punished.

  • TMC mourns Uromi victims

    TMC mourns Uromi victims

    The Muslim Congress (TMC) has expressed sadness over the brutal murder of 16 northern travelers in Uromi, Edo State, on Friday. Its Amir (National President), Alhaji AbdulWasi’I  Bangbala,  in a statement said the action, fueled by baseless accusations and mob hysteria, is a stark reminder of the fragility of peace and the urgent need for unity and justice in the country.

    Bangbala said: “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, who have been robbed of their loved ones in the most horrific manner. We stand in solemn solidarity with them during this time of immense grief and pain, and we call for immediate justice to avert further breakdown of social order.   This tragedy in Uromi is not merely a local tragedy but a national crisis that exposes the dangers of mob justice, ethnic profiling, and the unchecked proliferation of vigilante actions. Every Nigerian citizen is entitled to the fundamental rights of safety, dignity, and fair treatment under the law. The extrajudicial killing of individuals, based solely on suspicion, is an affront to justice and a threat to the fabric of our nation. Mob killing is vile and absolutely condemnable. Even in cases where suspicions arise, the only lawful recourse is to surrender suspects to the proper authorities, not to subject them to brutal mob violence.

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    “We urge all affected communities to exercise restraint and resist the impulse toward retaliation. Violence only deepens wounds and perpetuates cycles of conflict. Instead, we must place our trust in the legal system and allow due process to deliver accountability. TMC reiterates its commitment to fostering national unity, peace, and justice, and we call upon leaders, civil society, and citizens alike to reject the dangerous rhetoric of hate and division and work collectively toward a society where justice prevails over vengeance.

    “This tragedy must serve as a turning point, a moment for Nigeria to reaffirm its commitment to the sanctity of life, the rule of law, and the protection of every citizen, regardless of ethnicity or creed. We honour the memory of the victims by demanding justice and ensuring such horrors are never repeated.”

  • Uromi killing: NNPP chieftain condoles Kano governor, condemns jungle justice

    Uromi killing: NNPP chieftain condoles Kano governor, condemns jungle justice

    A Southwest chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Amb. Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo has expressed condolences to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf and the people of the state over the alleged killing of 16 Kano travellers in Edo State. 

    Ajadi denounced the act of jungle justice, stating that such actions have no place in a civilized nation and are unacceptable at this point in Nigeria’s history. 

    Reports indicate that 16 northern travellers were allegedly killed by local vigilantes in Uromi, Esan North Local Government Area of Edo State, while traveling from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Kano State.

    The victims were reportedly attacked and brutally killed by a vigilante group in Udune Efandion, a community in Uromi. 

    In a statement, Ajadi described the incident as tragic and called for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.

    He urged citizens to embrace unity, emphasizing the message in Nigeria’s National Anthem, which highlights the country’s strength in diversity and brotherhood. 

    He also cautioned against taking the law into one’s hands, advising that anyone suspected of criminal activity should be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies rather than subjected to mob justice.

    He said, “I commiserate with the Kano State Governor, His Excellency Alhaji Abba Yusuf, and the people of Kano State generally on the death of 16 northern hunters who were brutally murdered in Uromi, Edo State, on their way to Kano from Port Harcourt for the Eid-el-fitr.

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    “The incident is regrettable and is uncalled for. We cannot do anything for the dead except to pray for the repose of their souls. The Almighty Allah will grant them Aljannah firdau.

    “I urged Nigerians to live as one irrespective of tribe or religion. Our National Anthem emphasise unity, and we must uphold the words of our National Anthem, which says’ though tribes and tongues may differ in brotherhood we stand.

    “This type of action is condemnable and we should take solace in the fact that the government has promised to fish out those who carried out the dastardly act and I know they will face the full wrath of the law.

    “The lesson from this incident is that we as Nigerians should not take law into our own hands. We should report any suspected criminals or crimes to the nearest law enforcement agencies.

    “I also thank Governor Abba Yusuf for his efforts at preventing reprisal attack. God will console you and the people of Kano. We pray we will not witness such sad events again in our land”.

  • Uromi 16, Diri and human rights

    Uromi 16, Diri and human rights

    Before things became bad, Nigerians lived as one. We still do, but not on the same scale as it was in the not too distant past. Then, people harboured strangers in their homes without any fear. They provided for the strangers, treating them as royalty. We were a country of peace and love – peace in our homes and love in our hearts.

    Then things changed. They did not change overnight. The changes were gradual, but we pretended that all was well. Our leaders should have moved then to nip things in the bud. They did not; they watched as the people became divided along ethic, religious, social and political lines. That of political is understandable, but the same cannot be said about religion and ethnicity

    A nation where brothers and sisters, parents and children practiced different religions and still lived under the same roof became a place where they no longer wished to stay together. It became worse accommodating strangers under such circumstances. Every stranger was viewed with suspicion. The stranger was no longer seen as a friend, he was perceived as an enemy, especially in the wake of the herders/farmers clashes stoked by the activities of the religious sect, Boko Haram (Book is a Sin).

    It may not be wrong to say that the rise in Boko Haram insurgency fueled the related activities of herders/farmers skirmishes that have made the country a nightmare for us all today. There were robbery and kidnapping in the land long before insurgency and banditry became the order of the day but those criminalities were few and far between then. They became rampant and flourishing enterprises when insurgency, banditry, terrorism, organ harvesting and human trafficking seized the land.

    Nigerians hardly spoke of their rights to freedoms of association and movement when there was peace in the land. They were accommodating and tolerant of one another – until crimes and criminalities changed the course of things. We then remembered that the Constitution guarantees us certain rights. The right to life as well as to live in any place of our choice, freedom of worship, freedom of movement and freedom of association.

    We became conscious of these rights because of our intolerance of one another; when as brothers we no longer saw eye to eye despite sharing many things in common. For the stranger, it was a bitter experience. His identity was no longer enough to guarantee him peace or refuge in any part of the country. People ran away from the herder and the farmer believing that he has come to kill, maim, loot and rape. Politicians also introduced toxicity into the system, preaching bitterness and divisiveness.

    This is why a community or a people will first descend on a group of herdsmen or farmers before finding out what those strangers are doing on their land. The rule is kill first before asking questions. It is a strange and barbaric rule meant for the stone age. We say we are in the computer age, where at the press of a button, we get things done quickly and effortlessly. Painfully, our actions say otherwise.

    There is no advancement in our human relationship. We have become killers under the guise of securing ourselves and there is no part of the country that is not guilty of this. What happened in Uromi, Edo State, on March 27 is a sad reminder of how as a people we have become our brother’s killer instead of keeper. All because of the fear that the stranger has no good intentions. Our people have become mind readers without the requisite knowledge of the art.

    These mind readers divine only bad intentions. They have never seen anything good in a stranger that will warrant accommodating them. It is only to kill and hide the strangers’ bodies in shallow graves for the security agencies to fish out. Uromi did not just happen to us. It is an everyday thing that the nation must rise as one and do something about before it consumes us. It is Uromi today, nobody knows which town such a bestial act of killing 16 persons or more in one fell swoop will happen next.

    Uromi happened because we did not do anything when such incidents happened in other parts of the country in the past. For instance, when Godwin Ukalaka was beheaded in Kano years ago, nothing happened. Many of such incidents have happened in other towns and cities in the north and the south, with the perpetrators getting away with the crime. There may be no end to these dastardly acts until the perpetrators are brought to justice for all to see.

    Governor Monday Okpebholo has embarked on a peace mission to douse tension over the Uromi killing to avoid reprisals in the Kano home state of the slain 16 hunters. It is disturbing that while he is dousing inter-ethno-religious tension through his shuttle to Kano, another governor, Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, is stoking the fire of political divisiveness. Diri is incensed that a group is planning an event for his state on April 12.

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    Like a dictator, he has read the riot act to the organisers, warning them to stay off Bayelsa. Diri may be the governor and chief security officer of his state, but he does not have the power to ban anybody whether an indigene of Bayelsa or not from gathering there. He claims to have directed the security agencies to stop the planned event because of its security implications. What are these security concerns? He did not say, yet he is wielding the power that he does not have by giving orders to military and paramilitary agencies.

    From his remarks, it is obvious that Diri is worried about the event because it revolves around Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. His  associates under the acronym of NEW (the first three letters of his name) claim that they want to thank him and President Bola Tinubu for bringing more Ijaw people into the government. As a governor, Diri should not be hysterical over matters that can be resolved amicably without going public. As an Ijaw, he should even be happy for his kinsmen and join in the celebrations and not be against the event.

    He has drawn undeserved attention to the event through his unsubstantiated claim that it is meant to destabilise his state. Remarks like this belittle a governor no matter his political differences with the object of his attack. What will he gain by raising unnecessary tension in, as he says, “a peaceful” state like Bayelsa?

    He has set up the organisers for attack  and the consequences may be grave if things go awry in the state before, during or after the April 12 event. As a governor, Diri should learn to guard his tongue. Governors do not talk anyhow.

  • Edo killing and spate of insecurity

    Edo killing and spate of insecurity

    • By Sunday Olagunju

    Sir: Failure of all governments in Nigeria to decisively take insecurity in its entire gamut, has contributed to the rise in mob actions and jungle justice.

    Sadly, the 16 hunters brutally murdered in a despicable manner recently in Uromi, Edo State, by people who stereo-typically mistook them as kidnappers, are victims of unresolved rapacious national insecurity.

    Kidnapping and other heinous acts, especially across state borders, have assumed dangerous proportions and their pervasiveness seems to have brought out the worst criminal tendencies among Nigerians of all nuances.

    Even if the hunters were in fact kidnappers, their killers having captured them could still have handed them to the security personnel instead of the outright jungle justice meted to them. They should have presumed then innocent until proved otherwise. It is important that travellers along state borders carry means of identification to show the authenticity of their personality.’

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    The Edo incident also brought to the fore the poor education of most of the vigilante groups who roam the major state borders across the country and the need to get most of them informed and better educated.

    With minimal education, the mob in Edo State should be able to differentiate kidnappers from genuine hunters; both carry guns, yet their disposition would have shown some good difference. The episode once again calls for a national declaration of state of emergency on insecurity, especially the notorious kidnapping which seems to have assumed a national crisis, holding the entire country at its jugular.

    Despite Nigerians’ desperate yearning for concrete actions against kidnapping and other heinous act, the idea of people taking laws into their hands through wanton killing without enough proof should be rightly discouraged. Concerted efforts should be made by all governments in the country to tackle headlong the escalating insecurity throughout the nooks and crannies of the country.

    Both Edo State and the federal government should thoroughly investigate the Uromi incident with a view to unearthing the circumstances leading to such inhuman and despicable action. The cause of such mistake should be unravelled and future occurrence prevented. Meanwhile, the incident should not be allowed to degenerate to North vs South confrontation as could be gleaned from the unsavoury comments over the incident by political do-gooders.

    •Sunday Olagunju,

    Ibadan, Oyo State.

  • Edo intensifies intervention in Ekpoma, Irrua, Uromi

    Following the completion of major audit of roads in Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki has intensified repair work on 109 roads across the state, including key roads in Edo Central Senatorial District.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said work has reached appreciable stage on Mousco – Ukpenu Road, Ekpoma; Irrua – Uromi Road; Secretariat Road, Igueben; Union Bank Road, Igueben and Uwenlebo Road, Ekpoma, among others.

    He added that the ongoing work across roads in Edo Central Senatorial District include cutting, earthwork, stone base and asphalting.

    According to him, “We are concerned about the state of roads across the state and have ensured contractors are mobilised to undertake this remedial work during the dry season, as promised. This work will touch on all parts of the state. It is to ensure that the major roads are in good state, at the least.”

    In Benin City, he said the affected roads include Boundary Road and Commercial Avenue, as well as Ogbelaka/Evborhan, Yoruba Street and Dumez Road.

    Major reconstruction work is ongoing in parts of Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Benin City, including Etete Junction on Adesuwa Road, where rehabilitation of failed portions are ongoing.

    Workers handling rehabilitation of failed portions of Etete Junction on Adesuwa Road, are expected to be deployed to 1st and 2nd Ugbor as well as other roads in the axis.