The families of the 16 northern travellers who were gruesomely burnt to death on Friday at Uromi in Edo State have demanded for justice.
Some of the victims, the Daily Trust reported, are indigenes of Torankawa village in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State.
Others were from Garko, Kibiya and Rano villages.
Six victims from Torankawa village, which has been thrown into were Abdulkadir Umar, survived by two wives and his mother; Zaharaddeen Tanko left behind a widow and four orphans and Haruna Hamidan, who left behind a wife and four children.
Others were Usaini Musa, who had two wives and two children; Abdullahi Harisu, who got married four months ago; and Ya’u Umaru and Abubakar Ado, who were young bachelors.
The leader of the hunters, Ibrahim Isa, who has six children, was the sole survivor from the village, is said to be bedridden in an Edo hospital.
Bereaved families see justice
A grieving woman, Sadiya Sa’adu, said apart from her son, Haruna Hamidan, she also lost her brother and nephew to the attack.
She called on the authorities to ensure justice was served.
Sadiya said “they were not criminals; they were simply out to make an honest living. My son’s blood must not be spilled in vain.
“As a mother, I have forgiven him, and I pray his soul rests in peace as he died in the holy month of Ramadan. And for the authorities, they should make sure that what happened is dealt with in accordance with the law.
“They were not thieves, they were out to look out for and get what to feed themselves and their families with. This is something that they have been doing for ages.
“He is not the only one I lost in this tragedy; there is a son to my elder sister and a brother also. We are all relatives from the same family.”
One of the victims, Hamidan’s widow, Zahura, said he called her “barely two hours before the attack, telling me they were on their way back.”
She said her husband left behind “not just his wife and four children, but also an unfinished house, a dream he had hoped to complete for his family. He was so determined to finish the project, but fate had another thing in store for him.”
The mother of one of the slain hunters, Abdullahi Harisu, 21, Aisha Harasu “told me, ‘Umma, please pray for us.’ Those were his last words to me. We depended on him for almost everything.
Abdullahi’s father, Isah, said his son was dedicated to the family’s tradition of hunting.
“He came to me to inform me that he was going on the annual hunting expedition, and I gave him my blessing. He left with our prayers, but he is never to come back,” he said.
