THE tragic killing of 16 travellers of northern extraction in Uromi, headquarters of Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State, has literally turned this hitherto sleepy town into a military zone with soldiers, police and plainclothes security agents taking over strategic junctions. The security agents were deployed not just to apprehend the suspects who carried out the dastardly act but also, and more significantly, to stave off reprisals by those who might feel strongly incensed over the killings. Residents of the area are actually wary of attacks on them by way of a reprisal, which is characteristic of communal, ethnic and religious strife in the country. There is palpable tension in Uromi, especially with the presence of plainclothes security agents, which has made discussing the unfortunate incident with strangers a risk.
The victims of the attack, said to be hunters, were reportedly travelling with the tools of their trade, including dane guns, from Port Harcourt in River State to Kano State; they were actually in transit in Uromi where they met their untimely death allegedly at the hands of local vigilante. Some suspects have been arrested in connection with the gruesome killings, and investigation is ongoing to determine the motivation for it. However, it is most probable that the perception of the ethnic background of the victims, coupled with the fact that they were armed while in transit in an environment that has repeatedly suffered terrorists attacks, might have caused the vigilante group to make a recourse to self-help. This trigger factor may appear understandable, but it by no means justifies cruel acts of lawlessness verging on mob action and murder. While the profiling and apprehension of the victims on this basis are socially wrong, the insecurity in which Nigerians live in many parts of the country clearly influenced that, especially when the victims were reportedly armed.
Nonetheless, the abridgment of the rights of the victims should have stopped at that level. In other words, after their arrest, the vigilantes should have handed the suspects over to the police who are authorised and have the wherewithal to determine the real mission of the alleged hunters. The resort to jungle justice, without allowing the appropriate authorities to ascertain the veracity of the vigilantes’ suspicion, is bizarre and barbaric. Not even the federal security operatives should have meted out this kind of justice to the victims if they were confirmed to be criminals; it is the place of the court to do that. A recourse to self-help or anarchy is abhorrent and should not be allowed to gain a foothold in any modern society.
The Uromi incident is very saddening because jungle justice is not allowed under any guise. Yes, it is important to recognise that the attack came after series of repeated attacks by nomadic terrorists on Uromi and adjoining communities without any meaningful official intervention, but it bears stressing again that the suspects should have been handed over to the police. No level of justifiable anger or protestation against previous or current wrongdoing should make anyone to take the law into their own hands. Even the government is not permitted to act outside the precincts of the law. That is the major point of departure between a lawless society and one governed by the rule of law. On the part of the government, we urge it to up its ante and do much more to protect the people and always ensure that those who visit violence on innocent people are apprehended and punished to the fullest extent of the law. For it would be tantamount to playing the ostrich for anyone to pretend that the horrific incident in Uromi is not a reflection of the low level of confidence and trust that many citizens have in the official handling of issues verging on terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the country. This is also the bitter truth that is vitiating citizens’ trust in the judicial system; they often fear that, in the end, justice may not be served, and for this reason, they resort to self-help, which is unacceptable. While there can be no justification for acts of lawlessness like jungle justice, the government is urged to be alive to and double down on the discharge of its responsibilities in a manner that will make citizens to have no excuse to resort to self-help.
Without prejudice to the ongoing investigation, certain issues need interrogation. For instance, what is the idea behind movement of firearms across states by non-security agents?
Meanwhile, we join the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and civil society organisations in Kano State in commending the Federal Government and the Edo and Kano state governments for their swift interventions and cautious handling of this terrible incident. There is no doubt that the deft treatment of the incident has significantly reduced tension and restored public confidence that justice will prevail ultimately. However, we enjoin governments at all levels to prioritise proactive measures to rein in terrorist activities rather than investing enormous energy and resources in reaction and damage control. We also urge quick and serious official intervention in all cases of lawlessness wherever they may occur in the country, going forward. If anything, official outcry has always been more strident when victims of attack are from a particular region or when such attacks, few and far between, were perceived to have targeted those citizens outside the region.
The country needs to go back to the drawing board. For instance, Benue and Plateau states are witnessing unabated genocidal attacks by killer herders and the government appears not to be taming the orgy of violent crimes against the people. And again, there is no vociferous government outcry over the mass killings either. No citizen deserves to die in the hands of outlaws. Thus, we strongly urge the government to adjust its stance that has often given the impression that some lives are more precious than others.
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