April 06, (THEWILL) – On March 27, a violent incident shook Uromi, a prominent town in Edo State, when local vigilantes stopped a group of about 16 northern males of Hausa origin being transported inside a truck carrying agricultural produce from Port Harcourt to Kano.
The vigilantes allegedly found Dane guns and large amounts of cash among the group’s possessions, leading to accusations of banditry, criminality and kidnapping. The men, according to eyewitnesses, were hiding inside the agricultural produce when the vigilantes forced the vehicle to pullover. What followed was brutal: Some of the hunters were lynched and their bodies set ablaze. This event has sparked outrage across Nigeria and raised fears of reprisals among northern communities.
Beyond the immediate horror, this incident points to a deeper problem: a growing crisis of public confidence in the country’s institutions. When people believe justice cannot be obtained through legal means, they turn to mob actions, fueling cycles of violence and widening societal divisions.
The Uromi killings did not happen in isolation. Nigeria has faced a rising tide of mob justice in recent years, often tied to public frustration with security and legal systems. In a statement from October 2024, Amnesty International noted that the country has seen an escalation of such violence, with authorities failing to investigate or protect rights effectively. In this case, the hunters were suspected of being ruthless kidnappers that have terrorised the area, but no formal process determined their guilt. Instead, a crowd took matters into its own hands, bypassing police and courts entirely.
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, quickly condemned the act and ordered the arrest of 14 suspects, yet this response came after the fact. Reactive measures, while necessary, do little to address the underlying issues that lead communities to feel abandoned by those meant to protect them. The absence of proactive steps, such as tackling farmer-herder conflicts or ensuring visible security presence, left Uromi vulnerable to this outbreak of violence.
Leadership failures extend beyond this single event. For years, the Nigerian Government has struggled to manage tensions over land and resources, particularly between farming communities and Fulani/Hausa herders, many of whom come from northern regions. These disputes have claimed countless lives and eroded trust in state authority.
On the other hand, state and federal authorities repeatedly fail to hold security forces accountable for abuses, a pattern that mirrors public perceptions of an ineffective system.
In Uromi, the vigilantes’ actions suggest a belief that official channels would not deliver justice swiftly or fairly. Governor Okpebholo has since pledged to prioritise security, but words alone cannot rebuild faith. The state and indeed, federal authorities must show it can act before crises erupt, not merely respond with arrests and promises afterward. Without such efforts, communities will continue to rely on self-help, deepening the cycle of violence.
The judiciary lies at the heart of this crisis. If people trusted the criminal justice system to punish wrongdoers, mob killings might not occur with such frequency. Yet, Nigeria’s courts and prisons face significant challenges. In February 2025, the Chief Justice of Nigeria highlighted concerns over delays, corruption and bias. Cases often drag on for years, while allegations of judicial misconduct undermine public confidence. In August 2024, political parties under the Inter Party Advisory Council called for urgent reforms to ensure timely and fair justice. In the Uromi case, the lack of a functioning criminal justice process left room for vigilante action. Had there been a reliable mechanism to detain, investigate and try the hunters, the outcome might have differed. Instead, the community saw no alternative but to mete out punishment itself.
Reforming the criminal justice system must be a priority to break this pattern. Expediting trials for violent crimes would send a clear message that justice can be swift. Transparency in court proceedings, coupled with stronger anti-corruption measures, could counter perceptions of bias and rebuild trust. These changes are not mere suggestions but necessities.
The fact is that mob justice in Nigeria, more often than not, stems from a corrupt and unproductive justice system, with citizens losing faith in its ability to deliver results. Implementing reforms requires political will and resources, yet the cost of inaction is far higher: a society where lawlessness becomes the norm. Leadership must commit to these changes, showing citizens that the state can handle disputes without bloodshed.
Beyond the judiciary, restoring public trust demands broader governance improvements. Security remains a pressing concern, with many Nigerians feeling unprotected by police forces stretched thin or perceived as unresponsive.
As I have previously said in my previous writings, community-based policing could help, placing officers closer to the people they serve and fostering cooperation rather than fear. Visible improvements, such as regular patrols or rapid response units, would demonstrate that the state takes safety seriously.
Additionally, addressing grievances like those between farmers and herders through policy, perhaps by mediating land use agreements, could prevent tensions from boiling over. The Uromi incident shows what happens when these steps are neglected: a community, feeling isolated, acts outside the law, and the nation pays the price in division and fear.
Ethnic dynamics add another layer to this issue, though they are not the sole cause. The hunters were northerners and their deaths have sparked protests among Fulani/Hausa communities in Uromi, alongside fears of reprisals elsewhere. This reaction highlights a risk of escalating tensions, yet the root lies in governance failure, not ethnic rivalry alone.
When the state fails to mediate disputes or deliver justice, divisions widen. Leadership must focus on unity, ensuring all groups feel heard and protected under the law. Ignoring this risks turning every incident into a trigger for broader conflict, threatening Nigeria’s faltering cohesion.
The human cost of these failures cannot be overstated. Families of the dead in Uromi mourn the hunters, while others live in dread of retaliation. Each act of violence leaves scars, on victims, perpetrators, and a society forced to witness such brutality. Currently, fear has gripped many in the town after the killings, a sentiment that captures the wider anxiety. These are not abstract statistics, but real people caught in a system that has let them down. Leadership must recognise this toll and act to prevent further loss. A more recent example underscores this urgency: on April 2, gunmen attacked five communities in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing at least 10 people and injuring many others. Houses were burned, and several residents remain missing. This assault came just six days after another attack in Ruwi, also in Bokkos, claimed 10 lives during a wake-keep ceremony, bringing the death toll in the area to 20 within a week. The Chairman of Bokkos Cultural Development Council, Farmasum Fuddang, reported that the attacks began in Mongor, where security forces intervened, only for the gunmen to move to Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, and Tadai, continuing their rampage.
He noted that over 50 villages in Bokkos have been targeted in the past six months, leaving residents fearful and displaced, with farming, a key livelihood, severely disrupted. Again, I reiterate that we must create local government and state police if we are serious about law and order in this country.
Nigeria stands at a critical point. The Uromi killings, alongside the recent violence in Bokkos, serve as stark warnings of what happens when trust in institutions collapses. Allowing these evil acts fester and leaving citizens to fend for themselves in a land where justice is no longer assured is a recipe for anarchy. The choice belongs to those in power, act decisively, or watch the country slide further into disintegration and probable extinction.
