Six northerners have been gruesomely murdered by a mob in Edo state, sparking outrage across the country.
The northerners were killed in Udune Efandion community of Uromi, Edo State on Thursday after being falsely accused of kidnapping.
A viral video footage has shown how the mob were burning the 16 travellers alive.
Accepting to a counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama said the victims who were Hausa hunters, were en route from Port Harcourt to Kano for the Sallah festivities when they were intercepted around 1:30 p.m. by members of the Edo State Security Corps and local vigilantes.
“The sight of their hunting guns — dane guns commonly used in the North was misinterpreted as a threat. Instead of contacting the police, or other security agencies, local vigilantes raised a false alarm, which ignited a wave of chaos and violence,” he said.
He said, “in a grotesque act of barbarism, the mob set the truck ablaze, leaving some bodies trapped inside the vehicle. While some people were taken out on wheelbarrow and thrown inside fire. This gruesome scene only point to the sickening reality of mob justice that has taken root in certain communities.”
Four survivors were rescued and rushed to His Grace Hospital in Uromi for urgent medical treatment, Mr Makama said.
The Hausa community in Uromi held an emergency peace meeting to address the situation and aims to prevent any further reprisals, it was further learned.
Edo State government in a statement on Friday said it would investigate the incident.
