Mistaken Identity: 16 Northern Travelers Killed in Edo State Buried Amidst Outrage

In a tragic and heart-rending incident, 16 northern Nigerians mistaken to be kidnappers and killed by vigilantes in Edo State have been buried.

They were allegedly stopped around Uromi area of Edo State and I. Being searched, were allegedly seen with guns they use as hunters but we’re thought to have applied them for crime and in what was described as a case of “jungle justice” terribly gone wrong, were killed.

The victims, who were predominantly Hausa hunters from northern Nigeria, were en route to Kano from Port Harcourt to celebrate the upcoming Sallah festival when they were intercepted.

The victims had been traveling in a bus when they were intercepted by local security authorities who found them with homemade weapons.

This discovery led to suspicion whereby the security officers claimed the visitors were kidnappers. The matter quickly escalated when a mob, rather than authorities, took over. The mob lynched the visitors, leading to the brutal killing of all 16 of them.

The victims’ bodies were then buried in a tearful ceremony, marking the end of a sorrowful chapter for their families and loved ones. The disaster has caused outrage at home and abroad, with local and national condemnation from parts of society, including the Nigerian government, parliamentarians, and human rights groups.

President Bola Tinubu strongly condemned the killings, terming the act as “dastardly” and that “jungle justice has no place in Nigeria.” He instructed security forces via a public statement to launch an intense investigation into the case and bring those behind the act to book. President Tinubu once again insisted that ensuring the constitutional freedoms of all Nigerians, including freedom of movement, is a cause that he vowed to hold water for.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, also denounced the killings, calling the attack “barbaric.” He promised that the state government would cooperate fully with the investigation, calling for the identification and prosecution of the attackers. As part of his release, Governor Okpebholo also acknowledged the contributions of community leaders in de-escalating tensions in the area and ensuring there was no further violence.

The Northern Senators Forum has joined the outrage in the country, urging the government of Edo State to act fast in identifying and prosecuting the killers. The forum argued that the victims, who were traveling on the road to attend a religious carnival, had the right to be on the road without fear of being attacked by mobs. The association also made a call for more security arrangements to prevent such incidents in the future.

In a breakthrough, the Edo State Police Command has arrested 14 suspects said to be responsible for the killings. Investigations are ongoing, and the authorities have vowed not to leave any stone unturned in the pursuit of justice. Governor Okpebholo also remained hopeful that justice would prevail and assured the families of the victims that they would not be left to weep in vain.

The incident has brought to the fore the need for better conflict management measures, improved security measures, and increased police patrols in areas where suspicion can easily find roots and translate to violence. The citizens of Edo State and Nigerians as a whole wait in anticipation of justice as the investigation is still ongoing, waiting to see justice served on the 16 innocent lives that were lost in this atrocities-tainted crime.

While the nation weeps over the death of the travelers, there is a unified cry for Nigeria to do something about the growing cases of mob attacks and ensure the rights and security of its people.