The National Council of Muslim Youths Organisations (NACOMYO) has condemned the mob killing of 16 hunters in Udune Efandion, Uromi, Esan North East local government area of Edo State.
The association, in a statement by its National President, Mal Sani Maigoro and National Secretary, Alh Mas’ud Akintola, described the killings as “barbaric, reprehensible, and indefensible”.
NACOMYO criticised the responsible vigilante group for raising a false alarm that incited the heinous crime, “despite the victims’ clear explanation that they were fasting Muslims and hunters returning home from Port Harcourt to Kano for Eid-el- Fitr celebrations.
The council noted the efforts of Edo State government in dousing the tension and called on the federal and state governments to move beyond rhetoric or platitudes and implement concrete policies that will ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or origin.
It also urged Nigerians to transcend divisive, primordial sentiments and prioritise unity, echoing Martin Luther King’s timeless wisdom: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
It added that being Muslims or Nigerians of Northern extraction should never be criminalised.
“The apex Muslim Youth body demanded that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) conduct a swift, thorough investigation and ensure the identification and immediate prosecution of all perpetrators. Viral videos of the incident should aid this process, delivering justice and some closure to the victims’ families.
The Council also highlighted what it called underreporting, deliberate distortion of the victims’ identities, buck-passing and justification by a section of the mainstream media.
It urged media practitioners to discharge their responsibilities as the fourth estate of the realm and avoid tacitly enabling criminality.
“Finally, NACOMYO consoled the bereaved families and prayed for the repose of the departed souls, seeking Allah’s mercy and paradise for the martyrs, while urging the government to compensate their dependants,” the statement added.
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