At least 16 travellers from Northern Nigeria were lynched in Udune Efandion, Uromi, Edo State, after being wrongly accused of kidnapping.
The victims, mostly Hausa hunters, were travelling from Port Harcourt to Kano for the Sallah festivities when they were stopped by local vigilantes and members of the Edo State Security Corps around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The situation quickly escalated as a mob took the law into their own hands.
Security expert Zagazola Makama confirmed the attack on Friday via his X (formerly Twitter) account, describing it as an act of extrajudicial violence that sparked widespread condemnation.
According to Makama, the travellers were armed with traditional hunting rifles, which led to their mistaken identification as criminals. Instead of alerting the police, vigilantes raised a false alarm, triggering chaos.
“The reaction was immediate and ruthless. Local youths, incited by the unfounded accusations, launched a violent assault, killing 16 of them on the spot.
“Some were burned alive when their truck was set on fire, while others were dragged out and thrown into the flames,” Makama revealed.
Security forces responded to a distress call but arrived too late to stop the killings. However, four survivors were rescued and taken to His Grace Hospital in Uromi for urgent medical attention.
Authorities have since arrested five suspects in connection with the attack, while the Hausa community in Uromi convened a peace meeting to prevent retaliatory violence.
Edo State Police Command spokesperson Moses Joel Yamu, when contacted, stated that he was still verifying details and would provide an official statement once the facts were clear.