Prominent civil rights advocacy group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA(HURIWA) has strongly commended the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, for what it described as his prompt, decisive, efficient and very massively effective actions and remedial measures he has adopted so far following the unfortunate incident in Uromi, where a group of travelers was killed by a mob.
This incident, which has sparked widespread condemnation, underscores the need for effective leadership and accountability in Nigeria. The Rights group is happy that the governor of Edo state has excelled in demonstrating remarkable and exemplary leadership in demonstrating his administration disposition to obey the constitution and to enforce the relevant criminal justice processes to deal with the suspected killers of the traveling hunters said to be Muslims who were headed to Kano from their supposed base in PortHarcourt Rivers state when armed vigilante intercepted them and mistook them for kidnappers thereby allowing a mob to lynch some of them to gruesome deaths.
As a leading human rights advocacy group, HURIWA applauds Governor Okpebholo’s commitment to justice, national unity, and the protection of all citizens, regardless of their location or faith. His administration’s efforts to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators are noteworthy and demonstrate a clear departure from the lackluster responses of some Northern governors and political elite to similar incidents involving Christian victims of mob action.
HURIWA notes that Governor Okpebholo’s exemplary leadership in this regard is a shining example of what is expected of leaders in similar circumstances. His actions have not only reassured the people of Edo State but have also sent a strong message that his administration will not tolerate lawlessness and violence.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is particularly impressed with Governor Okpebholo’s proactive approach to addressing the Uromi incident, which has helped to prevent further escalation of violence and tensions. This approach is a testament to his administration’s commitment to upholding human rights and the rule of law. The Rights group listed the physical visit to the families of the affected travellers in Kano State, the governor’s avowed pledge to pay commemsurate compensations to the families of those who were unfortunately mistaken for kidnappers and illegally and extrajudicially killed by a riotous mob in Uromi, Edo state. HURIWA also applauded the transformational steps by the Governor to change the modus operandi of the Edo state vigilante by immediately slamming a suspension on the head of that quasi-security outfit in Edo state.
In stark contrast, HURIWA recalls the tragic incident of Deborah Samuel, a Christian student who was brutally killed by a mob in Sokoto State. The then-Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s failure to prosecute the perpetrators and his successor’s inaction in bringing justice to the victim and her family are a stark reminder of the impunity that has characterized similar incidents in Northern Nigeria.
HURIWA demands to know why the lives of Muslim Northerners appear to be more sacred than those of Christian Northerners. The organization notes that several Northern Christians, including a teacher, have been killed on unsubstantiated charges of blasphemy by mobs, with little to no reaction from Northern politicians, including defense chiefs.
HURIWA also criticised the immediate past president Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo both of whom were in office when a female pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and mother of 7 Mrs. EUNICE ELISHA was killed near a Mosque in Kubwa by Islamic extremists who accused her of preaching near their Mosque. These cases when compared to how so effectively the Edo state governor has handled the Uromi incident, will inevitably present the Edo State Governor as a charismatic, empathetic, resolute and humane administrator who has the highest regards for the sanctity of human life which the Constitution of Nigeria in chapter 4 and specifically enshrined in section 33 of the Constitution which is the GRUND NORM of Nigeria.
HURIWA urges the Edo State government to make good the pledge of the administration to effectively prosecute and punish, in accordance with the due process of the law, the killers of the northern traveling ‘hunters’ who were brutally murdered in Uromi. The organization also calls for greater checks and balances on vigilantes to ensure that such mob actions and other religiously inflamed mob actions against Christians in the North are never allowed.
Furthermore, HURIWA demands justice for all citizens killed by Islamists and extremists on false and unproven allegations of blasphemy, including the Muslim man killed in Lugbe, Abuja over similar false accusations. HURIWA is using the opportunity to call on the FCT minister, the President of Nigeria, the governors of Gombe, Bauchi and importantly Sokoto to bring all the Islamic extremists responsible for mob actions that led to the extrajudicial executions in the most primitive of fashions, many Christians killed over unproven allegations of blasphemy.
In conclusion, as HURIWA, we emphasize that the Uromi incident serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for Nigerians to collectively condemn and resist the scourge of mob violence. We must recognize that the perpetuation of such heinous acts is a collective failure of our moral fabric. Therefore, we call on all citizens to join hands in rejecting the culture of impunity and mob mentality, and instead, promote a culture of tolerance, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko,
National Coordinator,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA).
1st APRIL, 2025.
