Mob Violence Soars in Nigeria as Northern Travellers are Killed in South-South

Several travellers were killed and many others injured in a mob attack by a local vigilante group and residents of Udune Efandion in Edo State, South-South Nigeria, on Friday, March 28. The vigilantes, profiling the northern Nigerian travellers as kidnappers or members of a violent group, intercepted and attacked them.

The victims were travelling from Elele in Rivers State to Kano in the country’s North West for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festivities when their truck was stopped along the Uromi/Obajana Expressway at around 1:30 p.m.

Some people survived the assault by fleeing the scene. Dayabu Yahaya, a resident of Kano State, was one of them. 

“They [the vigilantes] ordered everyone to get down. I was confused as to why, but we obeyed,” he told a local news outlet. “As soon as we did, they began flogging us aggressively and gathered us in one place.”

“They didn’t find anything incriminating—only our hunting knives, locally made guns, and the palm oil we had bought. These guns are licensed, but they seized the documents and our luggage and burned them,” Dayabu added. “We were 27 in number. Right now, 20 people are missing, five are here, and two are in the hospital.”

However, the Edo State Police spokesperson, Moses Joel Yamu, told HumAngle that the truck was carrying 25 travellers. According to Yamu, 16 were lynched, but police operatives managed to rescue ten of the travellers, and two were rushed to the hospital.

Mustapha Alhassan, another survivor from Katsina State, managed to escape. Recalling the attack, he said: “After stopping our vehicle, the vigilantes gathered onlookers, who were residents of the town, and then stepped aside, leaving us to their mercy. They kept on beating us as if they were out to kill us. Some of us ran—I was fortunate to be among those who escaped. While on the run, I was divinely connected with some of our Hausa brothers, who contributed money for my transport fare to get to our king’s house.”

“No one interrogated us. They just started beating us,” Mustapha added.

The Nigerian police confirmed the incident. “The group of individuals, who were traveling in a truck and claimed to be hunters, were found in possession of nineteen locally fabricated firearms when intercepted by the vigilantes, who were not satisfied with the excuse of being hunters to be in possession of such number of arms, concluded they were kidnappers,” said Olumuyiwa Adejobi, spokesperson for the Nigerian Police Force.

It also remains unclear whether the affected persons were members of the Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), an umbrella body of hunters in the country. NHFSS has yet to respond to our request for comments.

The Police have arrested 14 suspects linked to the killings. A manhunt is ongoing for others involved in the attack. The Inspector-General of Police has directed the Force Criminal Investigation Department to take over the case, underscoring the gravity of the incident.

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo condemned the attack, stating that “nobody has the right to take another man’s life.” He assured that perpetrators would face the full wrath of the law.

Mob justice in Nigeria

The attack in Uromi reflects the growing crisis of mob justice and extrajudicial killings by vigilante groups across Nigeria. These groups, formed initially to fill the security gaps left by the police and military, have become both protectors and perpetrators of violence.

Vigilante organisations, such as the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and the Civilian Joint Task Force in the north, have been crucial in tackling crime and insurgencies. However, a lack of formal oversight and accountability mechanisms has led to widespread abuses. In many instances, vigilantes have acted based on suspicion rather than evidence, resorting to brutal forms of ‘justice’ that often result in wrongful deaths. The groups have also been accused of profiling. 

According to Amnesty International, mob violence has surged in Nigeria, with at least 555 victims documented between 2012 and 2023. Of these, 57 were killed—some burned alive or tortured to death. The victims of the Uromi attack were burned using tyres.

“The failure of law enforcement agencies […] to prevent mob violence, investigate allegations of torture and killings, and bring suspected perpetrators to justice, is empowering mobs to kill,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “The problem is compounded by weak and corrupt legal institutions and systems.” 

Why do mobs kill?

Ethnic and religious biases underpin some of these attacks. Individuals from northern Nigeria, particularly Fulani herders, are frequently accused of involvement in kidnappings and terrorism. This has heightened communal tensions, leading to a dangerous climate where suspicion alone is enough to justify violent retaliation.

The Uromi attack bears similarities to a previous incident in August 2021, when a mob in Jos, Plateau State, North-central Nigeria, killed 26 travellers returning from an Islamic event. Locals claimed it was a reprisal for earlier attacks on farmers in Miango District, allegedly carried out by armed herders.

Barely three days before the lynching in Edo, suspected armed herders attacked Ukhun, a neighbouring community in the Esan West Local Government Area, killing one person and injuring several others. Residents say these attacks have become frequent, fuelling a cycle of retaliatory violence.

Experts note that such mob reactions stem from a combination of fear, misinformation, and deep-seated ethnic or religious distrust. 

“In a highly securitised environment where communities feel abandoned by the government, people often resort to self-help measures. But the danger is that this turns ordinary people into executioners, acting on rumours rather than facts, rumours that are often shaped by various biases,” Ruth Ki, a security intelligence analyst at Abuja-based Beacon Security and Intelligence, told HumAngle. “As a result, certain groups are disproportionately targeted, their perceived identity sealing their fate before they even have a chance to explain themselves.”

Ruth added, “Authorities and communities must work together to restore trust, improve security, and provide alternative justice mechanisms.”

‘Justice and reform’

President Bola Tinubu has condemned the killings and called for an investigation.

“The President noted that jungle justice has no place in Nigeria, and all Nigerians have the right to move freely in any part of the country,” said Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy.

Yet, despite official condemnations, there has been little concrete action to regulate vigilante groups or prevent mob violence. Nigerian law prohibits extrajudicial killings, but enforcement remains inconsistent, and perpetrators are rarely prosecuted.

Suleiman Akano, a legal practitioner, previously told HumAngle: “The Nigerian Constitution is clear about the roles and responsibilities of state security agencies. The police are constitutionally mandated to maintain law and order, while the military is responsible for defending the country’s territorial integrity.”

“How do we explain the role of self-help militias that are not constitutionally recognised? It would be difficult to subject them to the same level of accountability and oversight as state security agencies. Without proper regulation, they will continue to engage in extrajudicial killings, undermining the rule of law,” Akano added.