The Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation has strongly condemned the brutal killing of 16 Northerners in Uromi, Edo State, on March 28, 2025.
The victims, who were traveling from Port Harcourt to Kano, were reportedly attacked, hacked to death, and set ablaze in what the foundation described as a “barbaric” act of ethnic violence.
In a press release signed by the Director-General of the Foundation, Engr. Dr Abubakar Gambo Umar, the foundation decried the increasing wave of targeted attacks against Northerners in parts of southern Nigeria, warning that such acts threaten national unity and peaceful coexistence.
“We are appalled that such crimes, rooted in ethnic and regional profiling, continue to plague our nation,” the foundation stated.
“It is unacceptable that our fellow Nigerians cannot travel freely and safely across their own country without the fear of being molested or harmed.”
The foundation recalled previous incidents of targeted attacks on Northerners in the South.
“We remember the killing of three Northerners in Anambra State on January 18, 2022, the murder of two Northern truck drivers in Enugu on July 14, 2023, whose vehicles were set ablaze, and the killing of five Northerners in Delta State on October 30, 2024,” the statement read.
“And who can forget the brutal murder of a pregnant Northern woman, Harira Jibril, and her four daughters in Ebonyi State on May 23, 2021?”
“These incidents, and many others, highlight a disturbing pattern that must not be ignored,” the foundation added.
The Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the Uromi killings, as well as compensation for the families of the victims.
“We demand swift justice, the authorities must not allow these perpetrators to go unpunished,” the statement continued.
The foundation also urged Southern leaders to take proactive steps in sensitizing their communities against ethnic profiling and violence.
“No one has the right to take the law into their own hands,” it said.
“Condemnation alone is not enough; justice must be served.”
The statement emphasized that every Nigerian has the right to live and work freely in any part of the country and called on the government to ensure equal protection under the law for all citizens.
“If we fail to address these rising attacks, we risk serious reprisals and further division in our country,” the foundation warned.
“For our nation to thrive in peace, harmony, and unity, we must reject all forms of discrimination and violence.”
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with calls from various quarters for urgent government intervention to curb ethnic violence and ensure justice for the victims.
Rel: Khadija Kubau
