FG orders manhunt as outrage trails 16 Edo travellers’ lynching
President Bola Tinubu and some governors in the country have condemned the gruesome murder of 16 travellers by an irate mob in Uromi, Edo State.
While the President ordered a manhunt for the killers, the governors joined in demanding justice for the victims.
It was gathered that the victims, who claimed to be hunters, were travelling in a Dangote Cement truck when they were accosted around 1.30pm in Udune Efandion community by local security.
Upon searching the vehicle, dane guns were reportedly discovered, which triggered the mob attack.
A disturbing video on X captured the moment the victims were lynched.
In the 29-second clip, the travellers could be heard wailing and pleading for their lives as the crowd beat them to a stupor and set them ablaze.
“Please, please, wayo, wayo,” one of the victims wailed.
Shockingly, some residents went about their activities, seemingly unbothered by the brutal scene unfolding before them.
An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as John, said the mob mistook the travellers for kidnappers.
He said, “After seeing the travellers with guns, the vigilantes raised the alarm, as people descended on them. How could they be carrying arms from wherever they were coming from? Are they hunters? What were they doing in a Dangote Cement truck with guns? I think the people were frustrated by frequent kidnaps in the area. However, they should have handed them over to the police.”
The gory video also showed a resident using a wheelbarrow to throw one of the victims into the raging fire.
A female voice in the background was heard saying, “Eyah, he is crying,” as the violence continued.
A man dressed in a white T-shirt and black jeans was seen directing the attack, while another male voice in the mob mocked the victims.
A resident, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, criticised the police for arriving late at the scene.
“If the police had arrived early enough, this tragedy could have been prevented. But by the time they arrived, only four people could be saved, and they were rushed to a hospital,” he stated.
16 travellers killed
Reacting to the incident, the Edo State Police Command confirmed the arrest of 14 suspects.
The command’s spokesman, Moses Yamu, in a statement on Friday, noted that an emergency meeting was convened with stakeholders and members of the community to address the situation.
He said a unit of the Police Mobile Force personnel with other tactical teams had been deployed in the area to forestall a breakdown of law and order.
Yamu cautioned against any form of reprisals or unlawful gatherings that might further escalate tension.
Narrating what led to the mob attack, the police spokesman said, “The incident occurred when a truck, with registration number KKF 225 XA, coming from Port Harcourt, conveying 25 travellers from Elele, a suburb of Rivers State, was accosted by some vigilante group members at Uromi, and some of the travellers who were found in possession of locally-made dane guns were arrested.
“While this was ongoing, some vigilante members raised the alarm of them being suspected kidnappers, which led some members and passersby in the community to attack and lynch 16 of the occupants, while the truck conveying them was equally burnt.
“Police operatives attached to the Uromi division got wind of the incident and swiftly stormed the scene where 10 of the travellers were rescued, two of whom sustained varying degrees of injury and were rushed to a hospital, where they are currently positively responding to treatment.”
