A truck driver who survived the gruesome killing of 16 Kano-bound travelers by a vigilante group in Uromi, Edo State, has shared his harrowing experience, refuting claims that the attack was ethnically motivated.
The incident occurred early Friday morning when the victims, believed to be hunters, were traveling from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Kano for the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
In a widely circulated video, the driver—whose identity was not disclosed—explained that he was transporting goods for the Dangote Group to Obajana, Kogi State, when he encountered the hunters at Elele. They were seeking a ride to the North.
“I initially refused because it was against company policy, but after driving for about two kilometers, I felt guilty for leaving them behind. They were my fellow Northerners from Kano, so I went back and picked them up,” he recounted.
According to him, the journey was uneventful until they reached Uromi, where a local vigilante group stopped them. The group’s leader reportedly questioned the driver about his cargo and passengers. Despite presenting his waybill, the vigilante commander grew suspicious upon seeing the hunters’ weapons and dogs.
“He said he didn’t trust them and demanded they step down. The moment the crowd saw their guns and dogs, they attacked us,” the driver said. “The commander then told the crowd that we were kidnappers and Boko Haram members, and they began beating us mercilessly.”
The driver, along with two others—an elderly man named Haruna and a younger man—was handcuffed and taken to a nearby police station. The vigilantes reportedly claimed they had captured suspected kidnappers, leading to their immediate detention.
“By the time he returned to the scene, the mob had already killed 16 people,” the driver said in anguish.
He strongly denied that the attack was driven by ethnic tensions. “This was not a tribal clash. The vigilantes are solely responsible for this massacre. They caused our people to be murdered in cold blood,” he insisted.
The killings have sparked nationwide outrage, with many calling for a thorough investigation and justice for the victims.
