LAGOS, Nigeria
Residents in northern Nigeria protested Friday and Saturday after a mob in southern Edo State killed 16 travelers, mostly Hausa hunters, over false accusations of kidnapping.
The victims were traveling from Port Harcourt to Kano for the Eid al-Fitr holiday when they were stopped near midnight Friday by members of the Edo State Security Corps and local vigilantes.
Seeing the travelers' locally made hunting guns, commonly used in northern Nigeria, the group misinterpreted them as a threat.
A widely circulated video showed the victims being surrounded by youths, doused in petrol, and set on fire.
Dayyabu Yahya, one of 10 survivors rescued by police, recounted the attack, saying when the driver resisted, "they flogged him. They also ordered the passengers to get out of the vehicle, during which they beat us up before grouping us together. Realizing that we would likely be killed, some of us made a run for our lives.”
The killings triggered widespread condemnation. Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo called the act “barbaric” and promised accountability.
President Bola Tinubu and Amnesty International also urged security forces to find those responsible and conduct a full investigation.
The incident has intensified concern over rising mob violence, misinformation, and the alleged erosion of law and order in Nigeria.
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