Uromi Killings And Northern Governors -By Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua

The gruesome murdering of 16 hunters who were in transit from Rivers to Kano State for Sallah festival, in uromi community,Edo State, has once again brought to fore the recurring jungle justice in the land. The hunters were spotted, stopped and lynched by vigilantes and other mobs on the pretext that, they were kidnappers terrorising their community. The victims were tightened, beaten up to plum and set ablaze by the mobs. The mobs action resulted in death of innocent hunters from northern extraction has continued to attract condemnation from Nigerians. Also, president Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Edo State governor Monday Okpebholo have condemned the uromi’s barbaric killing in strong term and promised to bring the culprits to justice. This is a welcome development. The Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo, last week, visited his excellency the executive governor of kano state, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to condole with the government and bereaved families of the deceased. During the visit, the governor assured that, justice will take it rightful course. Interestingly, in a bid to avert subsequent mob actions in the state, governor Okpebholo, directed the banning of unregistered vigilantes groups. This move will go along way towards regulating their activities and put to an end the reported cases of abuse.

Before the jungle justice which lead to the death of 16 hunters, many cases of extra judicial killings have been reported in the country with the culprits getting away with them. This is a sad reminder that, mobs action neither attract remorse from the perpetrators nor punishment from constituted authorities. Little wonder,the ugly phenomenon has continued to happen unabated. At the slight provocation, innocent lives are being snuffed out and the culprits continue with their normal lives as if nothing has happened. In a saner society, the perpetrators of jungle justice are quickly apprehended and brought to book to serve as deterrent to others. However, in Nigeria, the incidence of jungle justice has been increasingly happening due to many factors including, unemployment, illiteracy and stereotype. Additionally, the inability of government to prosecute those engaged in mobs action has emboldened the menace and making it a recurring event.

While uromi’s barbaric killing has attracted condemnation and promises by government to prosecute the culprits,it has become imperative for our northern hunters to know, hunting is an old profession that is no longer profitable and rewarding. It is advisable, they either change business or confine their profession within the north. In as much as Section 4 of the 1999 constitution confers Nigerians the inalienable right to move to any part of the country, the waves of insecurity and rampant cases of kidnapping remain another stumble block not only for hunting which is viewed with deep suspicious, but also other legitimate business. Some Southern states like their northern counterpart are battling with insecurity.

Besides farmers/herdsmen crises, kidnapping for ransom has reared its ugly head in the region. This, however, does not give a licence for mob actions or killing of innocent lives. One had expected the uromi’s vigilantes group to hand over the suspected hunters to police for further investigation. Sadly, the vigilantes group took laws into their hand and wasted 16 precious innocent lives.

The killing of 16 innocent hunters has further interrogated the impacts of policies being implemented by the northern state governors. The governors policies have failed to address myriad poverty in the region. Poverty has pushed millions of northern youths to southern part of the country for a menial jobs such as: security man, nail cutters, wheelbarrow pushers, hunting and water vendor.

If right economy policies and conducive environment were created by our northern governors, the probability of thousands of northern youths to migrate to South for menial jobs will be minimal. The northern governors forum should go beyond mere condemnation of jungle justice against the 16 killed northern hunters and implement far-reaching policies aimed at addressing unemployment and high poverty in the region.

Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua, Kaduna State. 08169056963.