Sixteen people travelling from Northern Nigeria were killed by a mob in the Udune Efandion community of Uromi, Edo State, on Thursday, March 27, after they were accused of kidnapping.
Thenewsbearer learnt from sources that the victims, who were Hausa hunters, were on their way to Kano State from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the Sallah festivities when they were intercepted around 1:30 p.m. by members of the Edo State Security Corps and local vigilantes.
On sighting the Dane guns commonly used in the North in the truck conveying the hunters, the local vigilantes reportedly raised an alarm which aroused mob anger.
Local youths were said to have attacked the travellers, resulting in the tragic loss of 16 lives on the spot.
The source said that the mob also set the truck ablaze, leaving some bodies trapped inside the vehicle, while some others were put in wheelbarrow and thrown inside fire.
It was further learnt that when security agents arrived the scene following a distress call, four survivors were rescued and rushed to His Grace Hospital in Uromi for urgent medical treatment.
Five people were said to have been arrested, while the Hausa community in Uromi held an emergency peace meeting to address the situation and prevent any reprisals
The Edo State Police Command has vowed that it would ensure that the law takes its course and the perpetrators of the act be brought to justice.
