Last week’s mob killing of 16 northerners, identified as hunters returning to Kano from the south for Sallah, at Uromi, Edo State, brought back fearful memories of indescribable mob violence that have trailed the lives of Nigerians who have been subjected to premeditated murder at the slightest mistrust. The murder of travellers in Jos, Plateau State, in August 2021, and the recurring killing of citizens on the nation’s major roads are clear mirror images that our roads are far from being safe.
Disputatious tunes and outrage, especially from the North, have ripped across the country over the killing of the hunters, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu calling on security forces to leave no stone unturned in fishing out the mindless murderers.
The DSS Formula
Amidst the condemnation of the dastardly act, conspiracy theories over the killing gained tremendous traction in both the mainstream and social media platforms, with some social media activists spinning several theories in insisting that the murdered persons were kidnappers and not hunters. Others have debunked claims by the travellers as strange, since hunters in the country are not known to operate beyond regional borders for hunting expeditions.
The killings have bolstered the need for a review of security templates in order to democratise the management of security that is intended to place the people at the centre of ensuring the sustenance of law and order. Allowing brigands to unleash violence amidst public apprehension of government’s powerlessness in dealing with criminals is a recipe for fear-provoking unpredictability. In order to avert such a scenario, the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has harped on the need for the commencement of community policing through the deployment of vigilante groups in various communities for effective security.
The Ajayi-led secret police did not only stop at such calls; it came up with a “security advisory on arms control and guidance in community policing” that is intended to ensure collaboration between vigilantes and the DSS. Perhaps, if the Uromi vigilantes had adhered to the advisory released by the security agency, the lives of the 16 hunters would have been spared.
Rescue Efforts
Following the tragedy, Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State suspended the commander of the State Security Corps, CP Friday Ibadin, a retired police commissioner. After his arrest by the DSS, he was transferred to Abuja for interrogation. Before last week’s mob violence, the suspended state corps commander had repulsed a security advisory to involve the DSS in the training of his vigilante members
The secret police boss had, during the maiden annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies (AANISS) in February 2025, in Abuja, called for community policing in order to provide the first line of defence in the fight against banditry and other crimes troubling the country. In his words: “We have to allow some level of armament for the community, so that they can serve as the first line of defence… when we leave here, those of us who have some influence, the elite, discuss with your communities. Come to us. Get some form of approval and guidance.”
Before the tragic incident last week, there were reports that a certain vigilante group was illegally operating in the Uromi axis, where CP Ibadin hails from. However, the retired police commissioner turned deaf ears and a blind eye on the vigilantes’ activities. It was also said that even when the DSS leadership drew the attention of the Edo State government to security reports on the complicit roles of Ibadin, they were dismissed with a wave of the hand.
Road Most Travelled
There have been instances where the killings of Nigerians have been treated with kidgloves, while the long arms of justice shortened to provide cover for the merciless executioners. When the killing of Deborah Samuel on May 12, 2022, in Sokoto, her death sparked threatening threats between Christians and Muslims, with deafening silence over the murder of a Muslim who was later killed in Sokoto over alleged blasphemy that was never established. Nigerians have become incessant victims of mob violence, with no consequences on perpetrators. When silence and discordant tunes trail efforts in bringing criminals to book over their devious activities, the lackadaisical disposition of leadership often empowers the perpetrators of violence.
In the past, Nigerians have been witnesses to gruesome killing of their fellow citizens, with no fewer than 60 in Sokoto and 150 in Kaduna State killed in one single attack without any repercussions on murderers. Nothing has come out from the vow by the government in arresting culprits and bringing them to book. Loud silence and inaction from those expected to act are what is needed to ensure the perpetuation of mob violence and vicious attacks on communities. When a group refuses to speak out on a case of injustice unleashed on non-members; energy is provided for the perpetrators of injustice and other dastardly acts.
Salvaging the citizens from the perpetrators of mob violence should be seen as a collective effort across ethnic and religious divides. Since it’s clear that our security forces do not have enough boots on the ground; the time has come to engage in community policing for security. When our communities are safe; then, that is the only time Nigerians can be truly safe. Allowing people to be at the mercy of criminals without involving them in security matters amounts to turning them into soft targets for these blood-thirsty mobs and merciless killers. While community policing should be embraced by states, in line with the secret police advisory on “arms control”, the non-commencement of community policing strategies, as outlined by the Ajayi-led DSS, can only provide oxygen for more mob violence and bloodshed.
