Fourteen persons suspected to be perpetrators of the lynching of the Northern travelers have reportedly been arrested.
The harrowing incident occurred on March 27, 2025, leaving a group of travelers ambushed, lynched, and their truck set ablaze by members of a vigilante team and an irate mob who claimed that kidnapping was the rationale for their actions.
CSP Moses Joel Yamu, the Police Public Relations Officer, said the victims were among the 25 passengers who boarded a truck bearing the registration number KKF 225 XA.
They had embarked on the journey from Elele, Rivers State, to Kano for the Sallah celebrations when the local vigilante team intercepted them at Uromi, suspecting their local guns to be kidnappers’ ammunition.
The arrest of the victims deteriorated into a mob action that lynched the victims without a comprehensive investigation.
The released statement reads:
“While this was ongoing, some vigilante members raised an alarm of them being suspected kidnappers, which led some members and passersby in the community to attack and lynch sixteen (16) of the occupants while the truck conveying them was equally burnt.
“Police operatives attached to the Uromi Division got wind of the incident and swiftly stormed the scene where ten (10) of the travelers were rescued, two (2) of whom sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to a hospital where they are currently positively responding to treatment.
“In the course of investigations, fourteen (14) suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime, while an emergency meeting was convened with stakeholders and members of the community to address the situation.
“In the meantime, a unit of Police Mobile Force personnel with other command tactical teams have been deployed to the area to forestall breakdown of law and order, while the Commissioner of Police reiterates the need for peaceful coexistence among various groups, and urges residents to remain calm and cooperate with the police as investigations continue.
“She also cautioned against any form of reprisal attacks or unlawful gatherings that may further escalate tensions,” Yamu stated.
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