The recent mob killing of 16 hunters in Uromi, Edo State, has triggered national outrage and heightened tensions across Northern Nigeria, as calls intensify for justice, accountability, and reconciliation to prevent a descent into reprisal violence.
The victims, who were members of a licensed hunters group traveling with authorized rifles, were allegedly mistaken for criminals by local vigilantes and angry residents. Eyewitness reports confirm that the hunters were lynched and their bodies gruesomely burned in broad daylight—an act many Nigerians have since condemned as barbaric and deeply regrettable.
Dr. Isma’il Tanko Birnin Kudu, a retired Joint Task Force (JTF) commander and renowned security consultant, described the killings as “heinous and utterly unacceptable,” stressing that failure to swiftly prosecute those responsible could ignite a dangerous cycle of revenge and further bloodshed.
“This was a clear case of jungle justice. The victims were not criminals, but licensed hunters performing lawful duties. Their cold-blooded murder must not be swept under the carpet. The Edo State Government, under Governor Monday Okpebholo, has shown commendable urgency, but justice must not only be done—it must be seen to be done,” Dr. Tanko stated.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the federal government to immediately compensate the bereaved families and issue a formal apology to the Hunters Association of Nigeria, noting that the incident has bruised trust and heightened ethnic and regional sensitivities.
Dr. Tanko further recommended the professional training of local vigilante groups across the country, advocating for the engagement of retired military personnel to provide standard security education and operational discipline, in order to prevent such fatal misjudgments in the future.
Echoing these sentiments, the Toronke Hunters Association of Kano, through its spokesperson, warned of dire consequences if the matter is not addressed with transparency and urgency. “We have exercised restraint so far, but we cannot guarantee the same in the face of continued silence and injustice. The blood of our members cannot go unaccounted for,” the statement read.
The incident has sparked a national conversation about the dangers of unregulated community security outfits, ethnic profiling, and the urgent need for comprehensive reform in grassroots security architecture. Prominent voices, including religious and traditional leaders, have called for calm, urging Nigerians to resist provocation and embrace lawful channels in seeking redress.
As the nation awaits official investigations, civil society organizations and human rights activists are mounting pressure on security agencies and judicial authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the Uromi killings are identified, prosecuted, and punished accordingly, and that the families of the slain hunters receive the justice and dignity they deserve.