Several communities along Old Ilushi Road in Uromi, Edo State, have become ghost towns as residents flee following the brutal killing of 16 travelers last Thursday.
The incident, allegedly triggered by suspicions of kidnapping, has left the area in panic, with many fearing arrests or retaliatory attacks by security forces.
Edo governor visits Kano, pledges swift prosecution
Governor Monday Okpebholo, currently in Kano, vowed that justice would be served for the victims. During a visit to Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, he confirmed that 14 suspects had been arrested and would be transferred to Abuja for further interrogation.
Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has demanded an independent judicial panel to investigate the lynchings.
Fear grips Uromi as residents abandon homes
Local sources report that entire neighborhoods have emptied, with residents avoiding farms and seeking shelter in nearby towns.
A resident named Monday described the chaotic scene:
“The vigilante group received information from areas on the stretch of Old Ilushi road, from where the travellers were coming, that they had weapons in their vehicle. When they arrived in Uromi, the vigilantes asked them to step down, but the travellers refused, leading to an altercation. One of them pulled out a knife, prompting the vigilantes to raise alarm, accusing them of being kidnappers.”
While condemning the violence, some locals insisted the victims were not innocent hunters but suspected kidnappers linked to recent abductions in the area. Another resident, Mr. Akhere, explained:
“In as much as we are not justifying the killings, because two wrongs don’t make a right, these people are not hunters as claimed… Our local vigilantes have been on the trail of these suspected kidnappers.”
Security crackdown and lingering tensions
Police have intensified patrols, arresting bystanders, including a motorcycle rider unaware of the prior day’s events. The crackdown has only deepened anxieties, with youths discreetly leaving Uromi.
The region’s kidnapping epidemic – often blamed on armed herders and hunters—has fueled distrust, with many arguing that security agencies have failed to protect them.
As investigations continue, Edo State grapples with the fallout of vigilante justice, exposing the fragile balance between community self-defense and mob violence in Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis.
Lucky survivors narrate how vigilantes attacked northern hunters
In a similar report, two survivors of a brutal attack on a group of northern hunters in Edo State have shared their harrowing ordeal, recounting how they were stopped, assaulted, and accused of being kidnappers, leading to killings of many by vigilantes and locals.
The incident, which occurred on Friday in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area, has sparked nationwide outrage.
President Bola Tinubu, and other prominent Nigerians including the Edo state Governor have condemned the violence and called for a thorough investigation.
