A driver who transported the 16 northern hunters lynched in Uromi, Edo State, has alleged that the commander of a local vigilante group ordered their execution.
According to a video obtained by Daily Trust, the driver recounted the harrowing ordeal, stating that the victims were falsely accused of being kidnappers and executed despite his explanations.
“I was transporting goods from Obajana when I encountered these hunters from Rano Local Government, who were stranded and heading home for Sallah. Though my company prohibits picking up passengers, I couldn’t leave my brothers behind, so I returned to give them a ride,” he narrated.
According to him, their journey was smooth until they reached Uromi, where vigilantes stopped them for a search. Upon discovering the hunters’ local hunting rifles and dogs, the vigilante leader allegedly declared them criminals.
“They immediately shattered my truck’s windscreen and side glass before attacking us with stones and sticks. The vigilante commander then handcuffed me, an elderly man named Haruna, and a young boy named Ila before taking us to the police station. However, before leaving, he instructed his men to kill the others – and they did,” he recounted.
He dismissed claims that the attack was not ethnically motivated, insisting that it was a targeted killing. “It was just me and the hunters. The vigilantes stopped us and brutally murdered my brothers,” he added.
The driver’s testimony contradicts initial statements from the Edo State government, which denied ethnic bias in the attack.
Meanwhile, calls for a thorough investigation into the killings continue to mount, with families of the victims demanding justice.
