Northern Senators Demand Probe, Punishment For Edo Killings

Northern Senators’ Forum yesterday condemned the murder of travelling hunters in Uromi, Esan North East local government area of Edo State on Thursday.

In a statement in Abuja by the chairman of the forum, Abdulaziz Yar’Adua yesterday, the lawmakers described the incident as ‘deeply disturbing and saddening.’

He said, “These individuals, who were travelling to the Northern part of Nigeria, were tragically stereotyped as Fulani kidnappers and brutally murdered in a despicable manner.

“We strongly condemn this heinous act which is a clear violation of the fundamental human rights of the victims. We urge the Edo State government to take immediate action to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this gruesome murder.”

While calling for a thorough probe, the northern senators emphasised that the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freely move across any part of the country.

They also urged Edo stakeholders and security agencies to work towards ensuring that such killing is not repeated in the future.

The inspector-general of police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has in the meantime ordered the deputy inspector-general of police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), DIG Sadiq Abubakar, to take over the case.

The IGP charged the DIG to ensure a thorough, impartial, and expedited investigation, while assuring the public that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) remained committed to upholding the rule of law and would not tolerate any form of unlawful killings or extrajudicial actions under any guise.