Amid Grief and Rage, Families Demand Swift Justice, Threaten Infiltration of Edo Community
The families and associates of the 16 hunters brutally lynched in Uromi, Edo State, have issued a chilling ultimatum: arrest and prosecute the killers—or they will take matters into their own hands. In what is rapidly escalating into a volatile national crisis, the grieving families, hailing predominantly from Toranke in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State, have expressed deep frustration over what they perceive as government inaction.
The hunters were en route from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Kano State to celebrate Sallah when they were intercepted by local vigilantes at Goodwill Junction along Old Ilushi Road. Suspected—without evidence—of being kidnappers, the men were lynched in a gruesome act that has shocked the conscience of the nation and ignited a firestorm of outrage across Nigeria.
In exclusive interviews with The PUNCH, anger poured forth from community leaders, relatives, and friends of the victims. Alhaji Musa Dogo, a revered community figure and hunter, minced no words:
“We cannot sit by and watch this injustice. If the government fails to act swiftly, we will. We know how to find the perpetrators—evil has footprints.”
Another hunter, Bala Danburan, issued a bold and ominous declaration:
“We know how to sneak into Uromi and take revenge. If justice fails us, we will deliver it ourselves. This is no empty threat—it is a solemn vow.”
Demands are mounting for the case to be transferred to a Kano court, with community members citing previous legal precedents involving cross-state prosecutions. Alhaji Usman Bako voiced what many in the region are feeling—that local security volunteers, like the slain hunters, are now being criminalized and discarded despite their roles in battling rural banditry and terrorism.
“If this is how we’re rewarded, we will reconsider participating in joint security operations,” Bako warned bitterly.
Malam Sani Umar, who lost his younger brother Yahaya, conveyed the family’s heartbreak.
“Yahaya believed in justice. He died believing in it. Now, he’s gone, leaving behind a wife and four children. Our pain is unbearable.”
Tears streamed down the face of Hafsat Ibrahim, mother of Nasiru, as she demanded not just justice but reparations.
“My son was our backbone. Let justice be served as prescribed by Islamic law, and let the government compensate us. We have suffered enough.”
Despite recent condolence visits by the governors of Kano and Edo, the families remain unimpressed. “We are tired of words. We need arrests. We need prosecution. We need justice,” declared Sani Umar.
Amid the growing uproar, the Defence Headquarters in Abuja issued a stern warning to groups threatening reprisal. Major General Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, revealed that political leaders from Edo and Kano had already intervened to defuse the crisis.
“At the political level, this issue has been resolved. Anyone trying to incite panic or chaos will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted,” Kangye stated. He also pushed back against criticism that the military has gone soft on violent actors like terrorists and bandits.
“We are still actively neutralizing threats across the country,” he assured.
Tensions, however, remain high—especially following reports that operatives from the Department of State Security (DSS) have arrested two key suspects connected to the lynching. According to Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, the arrests were made in Uromi based on credible intelligence, and the suspects have since been transferred to Abuja for further interrogation.
“Security agencies are intensifying efforts to round up all those involved,” Itua confirmed.
On the sensitive matter of compensation, discussions are still ongoing between the Edo and Kano State governments to determine a suitable form of redress for the bereaved families.
Still, with grief turning into fury and a community on the edge of vigilante retaliation, the question now looms large: will justice prevail—or will Nigeria witness another tragic spiral of violence in a country already burdened by communal strife?
PIONEER NEWS 