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ON UROMI 16 AND JUNGLE JUSTICE

ON UROMI 16 AND JUNGLE JUSTICE

 Government should define the role of vigilante groups in our community policing system

Last Thursday’s bestial killing in Uromi, Edo State, of 19 hunters has continued to generate national uproar. The victims were reportedly travelling from Port Harcourt to Kano for the end of Ramadan festivities when they were intercepted and burnt to death by local vigilantes after being suspected as kidnappers. Authorities in the country should be concerned by the rate at which mobs dispense this kind of ‘instant and brutal justice’ on suspected kidnappers, robbers, cultists, etc., without restraints. Available reports indicate that more than 500 individuals have fallen victim to such mob justice across the country in the past decade.

We condemn the unmindful killing of these innocent men and urge the police to expedite investigations so as to bring the culprits to justice. We also commiserate with their families. We endorse the actions taken by the Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, who has visited Kano to reassure the people and douse tension. But the federal government must address the root cause. While we believe that the primary responsibility of a state is the protection of lives and property – a  responsibility that is discharged by institutions like the police, the military, paramilitary services and the intelligence community, it becomes worrisome when this sacred duty is outsourced to unregulated and uncoordinated groups as is the case today in many communities across the country. 

Indeed, it is obvious that there is a clear connection between the worsening security situation and the emergence and proliferation of vigilante groups. Many communities have resorted to setting up vigilante groups to assist law enforcement agencies who are grossly understaffed and underfunded. And with farming becoming increasingly hazardous in many of our rural communities at a time the nation needs to embrace agriculture not only for food security but also to take many of our young people away from the streets, all relevant authorities must begin to fashion long-term solutions to the security problem that has made our people resort to self-help with dire implications.  

No doubt vigilante groups play important roles in protecting communities against violent hoodlums and night marauders. However, some of them carry all manner of arms for which they are not trained. In fact, in most cases, there is nothing to distinguish some of them from armed robbers, and, or kidnappers. This could be a prelude to anarchy if not properly addressed. Their activities must be regulated and their members properly documented. Also, their right to bear arms, even if such arms are locally made, must be critically reviewed with clear guidelines issued by the appropriate authorities. A situation where touts and drug addicts bear arms at night as members of vigilante groups should not be acceptable in any decent society. Not only is it a threat to law abiding citizens, but it is also a serious danger to public peace.

 In checking this ugly trend, we could also borrow a leaf from other climes where the existence of neighbourhood watch is basically to serve as the third eye which gives information to the police. In those societies, there is a close synergy between the neighbourhood watch and the security agencies, with the former helping to gather intelligence in areas where the latter lack the required manpower and resources. And on occasions when they assist in nabbing suspected criminals, such suspects are promptly handed over to the police for proper investigation and possible prosecution.
 

We therefore call on the government to properly define the role of vigilante groups in our community policing system. That should include keeping proper documentation and conducting background checks on their members. We believe that these are some ways the spate of tragic killings by members of vigilante groups could be checked.

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 Government should define the role of vigilante groups in our community policing system Last Thursday’s bestial killing in Uromi, Edo State, of 19 hunters has continued to generate national uproar. The victims

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A SACRILEGIOUS ATTACK ON HUMAN LIVES

A SACRILEGIOUS ATTACK ON HUMAN LIVES

Instead of milk and honey, Nigeria is rather a country flowing with blood with numerous avoidable and unavoidable deaths, easily making Africa’s largest democracy one of the most dangerous countries on earth.

Within the slaughter slab that the Nigerian space has become, every Nigeria has been spattered by blood to some degree in a country where everyday interactions have been turned to bloodbaths.

On March 27, 2025, 16 hunters of Northern extraction travelling from Port Harcourt to Kano for Sallah ran into killers stationed at Uromi, Edo State. All it took was a false alarm branding the travellers bandits for the killers to mobilize their bloodlust, bayonets, and butchery skills and fires. All 16 hunters were killed and fed to the fire. The killings have since provoked a national outcry.

There is a sense in which smoldering anger in many Nigerians has congealed into murderous rage. Many Nigerians driven to despair by the insecurity ravaging the country, disillusioned with the system which fails to stem the tide and desperate for some action  are too easily carried away by the promise of jungle justice. All they often need to ignite their killer rage are killer cries.

All over Nigeria, there is a mounting sense of frustration that the criminal justice system always crumbles under pressure, with criminals often getting what amounts to no more than a slap on the wrist.

Even worse is the fact that many Nigerians believe rather justifiably that the Nigerian criminal justice system is selective, favouring the powerful and punishing the poor.

So, for many Nigerians, whenever the opportunity arises to execute swift justice, they take it with both hands. To fix this murderous mentality of mob justice, which typically catches innocent people cold, Nigeria must reform its justice system to preclude jungle justice.

With Nigeria’s criminal justice system struggling so badly, many criminals are on the loose seeking the next spot for their criminal adventures. In Uromi, they laid low under the guise of vigilantes until unsuspecting hunters walked into their trap.

In a country that has become criminally and critically unsafe, who are bandits? If the hunters were truly bandits, would they not have been more careful to conceal their identity and weapons?

If not that buffoonery blended perfectly with bloodlust on that eternally dark day in Uromi, wouldn’t some of the killers have cautioned themselves that bandits don’t usually move around during the day or bare the tools of their trade, if they are not licensed?

A nationwide condemnation has followed the killing, but the difference that must be made this time around is that condemnation must yield concrete action, which is the prosecution and incarceration of the perpetrators.

All those who partook in the gruesome killings of the innocent hunters are heartless criminals who have no place in any sane society. They must be transparently tried and punished in accordance with the law.

Unfortunately, some Nigerians have invoked memories of lynching in other parts of the country to play ethnic and religious cards, but a killing is a killing and no human life is inferior to the other.

Nigerians must refuse to become that country where the gruesome killing of citizens is not only left unpunished but justified under any guise.

Kene Obiezu,

keneobiezu@gmail.com

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Instead of milk and honey, Nigeria is rather a country flowing with blood with numerous avoidable and unavoidable deaths, easily making Africa’s largest democracy one of the most dangerous countries on earth.

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Heroic Welcome for Natasha Despite Kogi’s Ban on Rally, Procession

Heroic Welcome for Natasha Despite Kogi’s Ban on Rally, Procession

A tumultuous crowd of supporters welcomed Senator representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to her senatorial district on Tuesday despite the ban placed on rallies and political procession by the state government.

Senator Natasha, who was suspended by the senate following the report of the Senate Ethics Committee and her allegation of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, was received by supporters from Kogi Central’s five local government areas who converged on Ihima, Okehi Local Government, despite a curfew imposed by the Okehi Local Government chairman, Amoka Monday, and warnings from the police.

Natasha arrived in a white helicopter, to address her jubilant supporters who hailed her dogged resistance against all forms of intimidation, including the ongoing recall process.

“Yesterday, we heard on the news that rallies and gatherings will not be allowed, that roads will be blocked, and convoys leading into the state will not be allowed.

“I knew that we were the targets. But then I said, this is not political season, this is not campaign time.

“We are not having a rally. This is just me, the Senator representing Kogi Central, coming down to her people to celebrate this festive time – the Sallah with you, and there is nothing wrong with that.

“I am breaking no law. This is Nigeria. We have the right to be free, to express our choice in gatherings and celebrations,” Senator Natasha said as she dismissed the government’s restrictions.

In her remarks, she alleged that Senate President Akpabio instructed former Governor Yahaya Bello to orchestrate her assassination, disguising it as a community attack.

She also alleged that the current governor, Usman Ododo, was complicit in the plot.

Natasha claimed that the recall effort was orchestrated by Akpabio in collaboration with influential figures in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

She recounted how the Senate President allegedly pressured Governor Ododo to lead the recall process but was met with resistance.
“Let me say this now. On the 14th of March at 10:30 p.m.—mind you, two days before that, on the 12th—Akpabio spoke to Governor Ododo to recall me. But he told him it would be impossible because the masses are with her, the people are with her. But Akpabio was not satisfied,” she told her supporters.

She further alleged that Akpabio then turned to Yahaya Bello, with a senator from Cross River, Asuquo Ekpenyong, reportedly escorting Bello to a meeting where money exchanged hands to fund the recall process.
Beyond the recall, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of explicitly directing Bello to have her killed in Kogi and not Abuja, ensuring that it would appear as an attack by locals rather than a politically motivated assassination.

“The second thing he told him was that he should try and kill me. I didn’t make this public, but I wrote to the IG of Police. And Akpabio told Yahaya Bello—I am standing on what I’ve said. He told him that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja, that it should be done here so it will seem as if it’s the people that killed me here,” she alleged.

Neither Akpabio, Bello, nor Ododo have publicly responded to the allegations.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused INEC of bias, alleging it aided petitioners in refining the recall petition against her.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias in handling the petition seeking her recall from the Senate.

She alleged that INEC was actively guiding petitioners affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) on how to legitimise their claims.

Akpoti-Uduaghan criticised INEC for allegedly assisting the petitioners in refining their submission. She claimed that the initial recall petition lacked essential details, such as addresses and phone numbers, but that INEC intervened to help rectify these issues.

“What I see INEC doing is aiding and guiding petitioners on how to perfect their illicit acts,” she stated.

She further alleged that the recall was orchestrated by a fictitious organisation, Kogi Central Political Frontier, whose listed address—No. 4, Oboroke—does not exist. According to her, a search at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) confirmed that the group was not legally registered.

She questioned why INEC had not taken steps to verify the legitimacy of the petitioners or their claims, adding that she and her supporters were prepared to challenge the recall process in court.

She said: “I’m still waiting and wondering why INEC has not yet made a statement to that effect or sent people down to Oboroke here, which is just five minutes away, to ascertain whether that address is real. Or have we stooped to the point whereby fictitious, non-existing associations and individuals can call for the recall of a senator? Are we in a kangaroo country? We should not allow that.

“I don’t know whether the process will be stalled, but we are in courts as well. Also, I don’t know when they will come down here to verify.

“But I will say this, if the time ever comes for the verification of the 250,000 people that signed for my recall, I trust that you will do right.” Meanwhile, Kogi Government in a statement by Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said the gathering by Natasha and her supporters was held in violation of the ban on public gatherings.
“Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has consistently demonstrated a pattern of lawlessness, using lies and deceit as her tools of political engagement. The recent disturbances in Kogi State, orchestrated by her defiance of the state’s security directives, have further confirmed her status as a security threat to the people of the State.
“She deliberately violated the State Government’s ban on political gatherings, which was put in place to prevent security breaches and maintain peace. Instead of respecting the law, she chose to incite chaos, disregarding the safety and stability of the state. When confronted with the consequences of her actions, she resorted to her usual tactics of playing the victim and fabricating baseless accusations against respected leaders of the state and the nation,” he said.

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A tumultuous crowd of supporters welcomed Senator representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to her senatorial district on Tuesday despite the ban placed on rallies and political procession by the