Truck driver recounts Edo lynching incident

The lone survivor of the tragic lynching of 16 travelers in Uromi, Edo State, has recounted his terrifying ordeal, refuting allegations that the attack was driven by tribal tensions.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday when the victims, identified as hunters from Kano State, were traveling from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Kano for the Eid-el-Fitr celebration. They were reportedly stopped by a local vigilante group in Uromi, leading to the fatal attack.

In a viral video, the truck driver, whose identity remains undisclosed, shared his version of events. He explained that he was transporting goods for the Dangote Group to Obajana, Kogi State, when he encountered the hunters at Elele.

The group requested a ride north, which he willingly offered, unaware of the impending danger.

READ ALSO: 16 travellers lynched in Edo laid to rest amid grief

“I initially refused to give them a ride because it was against my company’s policy. But after driving for about two kilometers, I felt guilty for abandoning them. After all, they are my fellow Northerners from Kano State, so I went back and picked them up,” the driver said.

According to him, the journey was peaceful until they arrived at Uromi, where they were stopped by a vigilante group. The leader of the vigilante allegedly questioned the driver about his cargo and the identity of his passengers. Despite presenting the waybill for the goods, the vigilante commander reportedly expressed suspicion about the hunters, particularly due to their weapons and dogs aboard the truck.

“He said he (Vigilante Leader) didn’t trust them and demanded they come down. As soon as the crowd saw their guns and dogs, they attacked us,” the driver narrated. “The commander told the crowd that we were kidnappers and Boko Haram, and they started beating us mercilessly.”

The driver, alongside two others identified as Haruna, an older man, and a younger man, was reportedly handcuffed by the vigilante commander and taken to a nearby police station. The vigilante informed the police that they had captured suspected kidnappers, leading to their immediate detention.

“By the time he went back to the scene, the mob had already killed 16 people,” the driver revealed, his voice filled with anguish.

He, however, categorically dismissed suggestions that the incident was a tribal clash. “This was not a tribal clash. The vigilante are solely responsible for this attack. They are the ones that caused our people to be murdered in cold blood,” he emphasided.

The tragic event has drawn widespread condemnation nationwide, with calls for a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.