Edo Killing: ANA Condemns Travellers Killing, Calls on Government to serve Justice
The leadership of the Association of Nigerian Authors has condemned the recent heinous mob action in Uromi, Edo state that led to the brutal killings of travellers accused of kidnappers.
In a Friday statement signed by the ANA national president, Dr. Usman Oladipo Akanbi and General Secretary, Dame Joan Oji both regretted that many lives have been lost due to the level of insecurity across the country and the growing trend of jungle justice, where aggrieved individuals and communities take the law into their own hands.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu and some governors have condemned the gruesomeness of 16 travellers and ordered a manhunt for the killers as they seek to demand justice for the victims.
Reacting to the incident, Edo State, Police Command Spokesman, Moses Yamu confirmed that 14 suspects have been arrested by the command.
He cautioned against any form of reprisals or unlawful gatherings that might further escape tension.
The ANA statement partly read “It will be recalled that the recent Ilobu/Ifon carnage in Osun State and the gruesome murder of Hausa hunters who were mistaken for kidnappers by their killers in Uromi, Edo State have escalated tensions nationwide, particularly in the Hausa-Fulani dominated northern areas of the country”
“Describing this spate of killings as sheer brutality and deeply unsettling, the ANA leaders in their statement have knocked the Nigerian security forces noting that though the agents are making observable efforts, their endeavours seem inadequate in face of the relentless bloodletting witnessed across the country lately”.
The statement further read that ANA unequivocally condemns these barbaric acts and therefore has called on the federal government to conduct a thorough investigation into these incidents, ensure justice is served, and implement measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
Additionally, ANA advocates for a comprehensive national reorientation programme, aimed at promoting a cultural rebirth, thereby curbing the rising tide of cultism, ritual killings, advanced fee fraud, corruption, ethnic jingoism, religious bigotry, and other antisocial crimes.
“Our Association strongly condemns the Uromi killings and other similar incidents now on the rise across the nation. While calling on the government, we also enjoin Nigerians to exercise restraint and co-operate with law enforcement agencies at all times,“ the statement concludes.
