A gruesome incident in Uromi, Edo State, has sparked national outrage after 7 Northern hunters were lynched and set ablaze by a mob based on unverified allegations of kidnapping. The attack, which has been widely condemned across social media, raises serious questions about justice, ethnic profiling, and the dangers of mob violence in Nigeria.
The Horrific Scene
Eyewitnesses reported that the victims, traveling from Port Harcourt to Kano, were stopped at a checkpoint by local vigilantes in Uromi. Upon finding their hunting rifles and dogs, the vigilantes accused them of being kidnappers. Without investigation, without trial, and without any evidence, they were brutally executed in one of the most horrific cases of extrajudicial killings in recent history.
A video circulating online shows the gruesome aftermath—bodies set on fire as onlookers stood watching. Social media erupted with anger, with users decrying the targeted killing of Northerners in the South.
They killed them not because they are kidnapper but because they are northerners.
— $ULTAN☠️𝕏 (@Sarki_sultan) March 28, 2025
Their brothers here in the North should start evacuating before it’s too late.
Cox I know the Family of those innocent people will not let this go in vain.
pic.twitter.com/ojfMYZ6rCv
Social Media Outcry
Twitter user @MaxajeeI, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, lamented, “The loss of 7 innocent lives, who were simply trying to earn a living, is devastating. If this had happened to Southerners in Sokoto or Kano, there would be national outrage.”
Another Twitter user, @SarkiSultan, posted the disturbing video, stating, “They killed them not because they were kidnappers but because they were Northerners. Their families will not let this go in vain.”
On Facebook, the user Gimbiyar Hausa issued an open letter condemning what she called the “continuous, unjust killings of Hausa hunters in the South.” She emphasized that hunting is an age-old, respected profession among the Hausa people and called for justice for the victims.
Where is Due Process?
While residents of the area claimed the victims were kidnappers, one must ask: Since when did mere allegations become a death sentence? Who determined their guilt? Where was the trial? If these men were criminals, why weren’t they handed over to the authorities?
In a country governed by law, justice should never be dispensed by mobs. The consequences of such actions are dire—what if they were innocent? What if this is part of a growing trend of ethnic profiling that puts an entire group of people in danger based on assumptions and stereotypes?
A Call for Justice
The Hausa community in Edo State has taken to the streets in protest, demanding that the government take action. Influential voices from the North have called for an independent investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible for the lynching.
Facebook influencer Dan Bello announced a live discussion titled “Kisan Edo” to address the growing concerns over targeted violence against Northerners. Other Northern activists have urged leaders to intervene before tensions escalate further.
The Growing Ethnic Divide
This incident adds to a disturbing pattern of violence against Hausa travelers and traders in some Southern communities. It begs the question: Is Nigeria drifting into a dangerous cycle of ethnic-based violence? If such killings continue unpunished, what stops others from taking the law into their own hands elsewhere in retaliation?
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