A deadly mob attack in Edo State, Nigeria, highlights Nigeria’s deepening security crisis. At least seven travellers were killed and others injured after vigilantes and locals profiled them as kidnappers, raising concerns about ethnic profiling, mob justice, and the growing role of self-help militias.
Several travellers were killed and many others injured in a mob attack by a local vigilante group and residents of Udune Efandion in Edo State, South-South Nigeria, on Friday, March 28. The vigilantes, profiling the northern Nigerian travellers as kidnappers or members of a violent group, intercepted and attacked them.
The victims were travelling from Elele in Rivers State to Kano in the country’s North West for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festivities when their truck was stopped along the Uromi/Obajana Expressway at around 1:30 p.m.
Some people survived the assault by fleeing the scene. Dayabu Yahaya, a resident of Kano State, was one of them.
“They [the vigilantes] ordered everyone to get down. I was confused as to why, but we obeyed,” he told a local news outlet. “As soon as we did, they began flogging us aggressively and gathered us in one place.”
“They didn’t find anything incriminating—only our hunting knives, locally made guns, and the palm oil we had bought. These guns are licensed, but they seized the documents and our luggage and burned them,” Dayabu added. “We were 27 in number. Right now, 20 people are missing, five are here, and two are in the hospital.”
However, the Edo State Police spokesperson, Moses Joel Yamu, told HumAngle that the truck was carrying 25 travellers. According to Yamu, 16 were lynched, but police operatives managed to rescue ten of the travellers, and two were rushed to the hospital.
Mustapha Alhassan, another survivor from Katsina State, managed to escape. Recalling the attack, he said: “After stopping our vehicle, the vigilantes gathered onlookers, who were residents of the town, and then stepped aside, leaving us to their mercy. They kept on beating us as if they were out to kill us. Some of us ran—I was fortunate to be among those who escaped. While on the run, I was divinely connected with some of our Hausa brothers, who contributed money for my transport fare to get to our king’s house.”
“No one interrogated us. They just started beating us,” Mustapha added.
The Nigerian police confirmed the incident. “The group of individuals, who were traveling in a truck and claimed to be hunters, were found in possession of nineteen locally fabricated firearms when intercepted by the vigilantes, who were not satisfied with the excuse of being hunters to be in possession of such number of arms, concluded they were kidnappers,” said Olumuyiwa Adejobi, spokesperson for the Nigerian Police Force.
It also remains unclear whether the affected persons were members of the Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), an umbrella body of hunters in the country. NHFSS has yet to respond to our request for comments.
The Police have arrested 14 suspects linked to the killings. A manhunt is ongoing for others involved in the attack. The Inspector-General of Police has directed the Force Criminal Investigation Department to take over the case, underscoring the gravity of the incident.
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo condemned the attack, stating that “nobody has the right to take another man’s life.” He assured that perpetrators would face the full wrath of the law.
Mob justice in Nigeria
The attack in Uromi reflects the growing crisis of mob justice and extrajudicial killings by vigilante groups across Nigeria. These groups, formed initially to fill the security gaps left by the police and military, have become both protectors and perpetrators of violence.
Vigilante organisations, such as the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and the Civilian Joint Task Force in the north, have been crucial in tackling crime and insurgencies. However, a lack of formal oversight and accountability mechanisms has led to widespread abuses. In many instances, vigilantes have acted based on suspicion rather than evidence, resorting to brutal forms of ‘justice’ that often result in wrongful deaths. The groups have also been accused of profiling.
According to Amnesty International, mob violence has surged in Nigeria, with at least 555 victims documented between 2012 and 2023. Of these, 57 were killed—some burned alive or tortured to death. The victims of the Uromi attack were burned using tyres.
“The failure of law enforcement agencies […] to prevent mob violence, investigate allegations of torture and killings, and bring suspected perpetrators to justice, is empowering mobs to kill,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “The problem is compounded by weak and corrupt legal institutions and systems.”
