The remains of the slain northern travellers in Uromi, Edo State, were laid to rest amid heavy mourning on Saturday.
A viral video posted on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama captured the emotional funeral rites, showing members of the Hausa community gathered in grief as the wrapped bodies were placed beside mass graves.
The man filming the burial, speaking in Hausa, prayed for the victims, asking for divine mercy and forgiveness. “May God bless them with mercy, forgive them, and accept their martyrdom,” he lamented.
The death toll reportedly rose to 19, with 16 additional bodies brought for burial after three were laid to rest the previous day. The sheer number of casualties necessitated a communal grave.
A devastated mother of one of the victims cried out, insisting her son was not a criminal but simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Another grieving father clung to a photograph of his slain child.
The Ojuromi of Uromi, Anselm Aidenojie II, alongside Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, condemned the killings and assured the community that security agencies were working to prevent reprisals and bring the perpetrators to justice. In response, the governor ordered the suspension of all vigilante groups in the state.
Meanwhile, the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) has urged calm, dismissing concerns of rising tensions in the North. NGF Chairman and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, reiterated calls for restraint while assuring that proactive steps were being taken to maintain peace ahead of the Eid el-Fitr celebrations.
The Northern Elders Forum has, however, issued demands to both the Edo and Federal Governments, pressing for swift action.
The travellers, who were journeying from Port Harcourt to Kano for Sallah celebrations, fell victim to a tragic mob attack. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed security agencies to track down those responsible for the killings.
