Fear and uncertainty continue to grip Uromi, a week after a violent mob lynched 16 northern travelers accused of being kidnappers.
As normalcy gradually returns, residents are raising concerns over alleged indiscriminate arrests and extortion by security operatives, particularly the police.
On what should have been a bustling market day, the usually crowded Mission Road—the town’s commercial hub—remained subdued, with significantly reduced vehicular and human traffic.
Many young men have reported being arbitrarily picked up by the police, with some allegedly forced to pay exorbitant sums to avoid detention or transfer to Abuja under suspicion of involvement in the killings.
Residents Allege Extortion and Fear Tactics
Reports suggest that police officers are demanding no less than ₦300,000 from individuals caught in their sweep.
A particularly alarming case involves a young man who had just returned from abroad and was allegedly arrested. He was purportedly coerced into transferring ₦1 million via a Point of Sale (POS) operator before being released under the threat of being taken to Abuja.
A local resident who spoke to Vanguard expressed his frustration in Pidgin English, saying: “Make dem do come dey go because no be wetin dem send dem, naim dem dey do now (They should leave us alone because they are not doing what they were sent to do).”
Fears of Reprisal and Police Clampdown
Meanwhile, the Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) has warned of possible retaliatory attacks in northern states and Abuja. The group has urged northerners residing in the south to consider returning home for their safety.
The situation has also led to changes in social behavior. According to Prince Eugene Olumese, a Uromi resident, young men now avoid gathering in groups of three or more for fear of being arrested.
He lamented, “This situation is affecting everyone here. The police are arresting people indiscriminately, and young men are now afraid to gather in groups of three or more for fear of being picked up.
“Innocent and guilty people alike are being arrested, and with the local vigilante group suspended, we are at the mercy of the police while criminal Fulani herdsmen still roam our forests.”
Police Respond to Allegations
Despite the mounting complaints, the police have urged those affected to provide concrete evidence of extortion for appropriate action to be taken.
The Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, responded: “It is not just enough to allege that police are extorting, they must have done it to one or two people. These people should let us know or show proof, then we can investigate.
‘’I may not be able to tell you that it is not true but I cannot also say it is a fact since there is no evidence. What I promise we will do, I will make some enquiries and also keep an eye on the ground there.”
On the claim that a young man paid ₦1 million to avoid being transferred to Abuja, Yamu said: “That one is on social media and I have chatted with the person who posted it to provide me with details, but till now as we speak, he has not.”
Tensions Persist in Uromi
Despite a noticeable reduction in security presence on the roads compared to earlier in the week, fear still looms over the town.
At Goodwill Junction along Old Ilushi Road, the scene of the mob attack, signs of the violence remain. The burnt truck, still loaded with palm kernel shells, sits abandoned, while a scavenger picks at its metal remnants.
Businesses in the area remain shuttered, with shop owners, churchgoers, and residents hesitant to resume normal activities due to concerns about reprisals or further police raids.
Even commercial motorcycle operators avoid the location, with one reluctantly agreeing to go only after this reporter identified himself as a journalist.
Banks Resume, But Market Activity Remains Low
Despite rumors that banks might remain closed, financial institutions along Mission Road reopened for business on the first working day after the Eid-el-Fitr holiday. Customers were seen transacting at full capacity.
However, the Uromi market, which normally overflows with activity on traditional market days, witnessed significantly lower foot traffic.
A trader, speaking anonymously, said: “You can see that even today that is our market day, vehicles, motorcycles, commonly known Okada are moving freely but people are still not free to come out. On a market day, every movement here is at snailspeed because of large turnout. I have opened for business but it is obvious I will close early.”
Lingering Questions Over the Mob Attack
Residents remain divided over the justification for the lynching, arguing that Uromi has long suffered from unchecked kidnapping activity.
Some claim that the victims were not mere travelers but had undisclosed large sums of money in fresh banknotes at the time of the attack, further fueling suspicions about their activities.
A resident, Olumese, voiced his frustration: “You can imagine that when people are arrested in the act of kidnapping and taken to the appropriate authorities, mainly the police, in a few days to months, you see the same people walking freely.
‘’Your life is at risk, especially those who are to keep watch over the town – the vigilantes – because these people (kidnappers) will come after them, so I think these are the reasons they took the law into their hands, which is not appropriate.
‘’The extra-judicial killing was not right though. We are not happy about it but there was a situation that was not remedied by the authorities.
“There are some of our young people who are entrepreneurs, they can’t build houses where there are warehouses, they build in fresh lands which are mostly bushes and these people can no longer go to their houses.
“Prices of goods keep skyrocketing because the food we can produce are no longer available because our farmers can no longer go to their farms. Herdsmen will go to farms to harvest food crops for their cattle to feed on, all these are unanswered questions.”
Many locals also pointed to broader security concerns, such as rising food prices caused by herdsmen preventing farmers from accessing their lands.
