BREAKING: “How They Murdered My Kano-Bound Passengers in Edo,” Truck Driver Speaks

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

A truck driver who survived the lynching of 16 travellers of Kano state extraction, by a vigilante group in Uromi, Edo state, has recounted the harrowing experience, refuting claims that the incident was tribal-related.

Legit.ng reported that the victims, identified as hunters traveling from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Kano for the Sallah celebration, were intercepted and killed by vigilantes who accused them of being kidnappers.

As reported by Daily Trust, a visit to Torankawa village in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano state, where some of the victims hailed from, grieving relatives shared harrowing details of the victims’ last moments.

Narrating the sad ordeal, the truck driver, who pleaded anonymity in a viral video circulating online, stated that he was transporting Dangote Group’s goods to Obajana in Kogi state when he encountered the hunters at Elele, seeking a ride to the North part of the country.

“I initially refused to give them a ride because it was against my company’s policy. But after driving for about two kilometers, I felt guilty for abandoning them. After all, they are my fellow Northerners from Kano State, so I went back and picked them up,” the driver said.

Truck driver recounts Edo vigilante mob lynching of 16 travelers

According to him, the journey was peaceful until they arrived at Uromi, where they were stopped by a vigilante group.

He noted that the leader of the vigilante allegedly questioned the driver (him) about his cargo and the identity of his passengers. Despite presenting the waybill for the goods, the vigilante commander reportedly expressed suspicion about the hunters, particularly due to their weapons and dogs aboard the truck.

“He said he (Vigilante leader) didn’t trust them and demanded they come down. As soon as the crowd saw their guns and dogs, they attacked us,” the driver narrated.

“The commander told the crowd that we were kidnappers and Boko Haram, and they started beating us mercilessly.”

As reported by Leadership, the driver, alongside two others identified as Haruna, an older man, and a younger man, was reportedly handcuffed by the vigilante commander and taken to a nearby police station.

The vigilante informed the police that they had captured suspected kidnappers, leading to their immediate detention.

“By the time he went back to the scene, the mob had already killed 16 people,” the driver revealed, his voice filled with anguish.

He, however, categorically dismissed suggestions that the incident was a tribal clash.

“This was not a tribal clash. The vigilante are solely responsible for this attack. They are the ones that caused our people to be murdered in cold blood,” he emphasided.

Uromi killings: Northern elders makes 5 key demands

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Northern Elders Forum has given Governor Monday Okpebholo and Edo state 14 days to recover the bodies of the 16 travellers killed in Uromi.

Reports stated that the victims, who were hunters with Dane guns, were travelling from Port Harcourt to Kano state for Eid when they were stopped by local vigilantes, who falsely accused them and raised an alarm.