Where Is the Freedom to Live? A Reflection on the Killing of 16 Northerners in Edo -By Yusuf Kabiru David

The news of sixteen Northerners murdered in Edo State weighs heavy on the heart. It forces us to pause and ask: what has happened to the right to simply live in this country? In a nation that speaks so often of unity, democracy, and the rule of law, this act of violence feels like a betrayal of everything we claim to stand for.

Uromi, the town where this horror took place, is not known for violence. In fact, the people there are widely regarded as warm, peace-loving, and welcoming. Which is why this tragedy is so confusing and deeply disturbing. It doesn’t feel like something that belongs to the character of the community—but rather, it points to something bigger, something darker: fear, misinformation, and the slow decay of our shared values.

We cannot, and must not, normalize this kind of violence. Nobody has the right to take another’s life. When people begin to take the law into their own hands, often fuelled by ethnic profiling and half-truths, what we get is not justice—it’s anarchy. We lose not just lives, but our humanity.

There’s a dangerous myth going around—one that sees every Northerner as a threat, as a herdsman, as a danger to peace. It’s wrong. It’s reckless. And it is exactly this kind of thinking that keeps fueling unnecessary bloodshed. Nigeria is too complex, too rich in diversity for us to keep boxing each other into dangerous stereotypes.

Jungle justice has no place in a society that claims to be civilized. The Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to life, to move freely, to live without fear. These are not optional rights. They are not subject to opinion or emotion. The moment we allow violence to override these rights, we lose the essence of nationhood.

This is the time for leadership—real leadership. The government must rise to the occasion. Investigations must be swift, and justice must be seen to be done. But more importantly, we need a deeper reckoning—a national soul-searching. Because beyond the killings lies a deeper rot: ignorance, suspicion, and a lack of national orientation.

We need to rebuild. We need to teach tolerance. We need to talk to one another—north, south, east, and west. We must remind ourselves that Nigeria belongs to all of us. Nobody should have to look over their shoulder simply because of where they’re from.

Sixteen lives have been lost. Families shattered. Dreams ended. We owe them more than just outrage—we owe them action, compassion, and a promise: that we will not let hate win.

Let us rise above vengeance and bitterness. Let us choose justice, unity, and peace. Only then can we begin to build the kind of country we all deserve—a Nigeria where no one is afraid to simply exist.

Yusuf Kabiru David
08140991717
Kabiruyusufdavid@gmail.com