14 Days to Justice: Northern Elders Demand Compensation for Lynching Victims

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has voiced concern over the death of northern hunters in Uromi, Edo State, claiming that the North "has tolerated enough and will no longer condone such attacks."

On Saturday, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the spokesperson for NEF, called the incident "shocking, sad, and deeply disturbing."

The news of the savage, extrajudicial, and vicious murder of innocent Northern hunters who were going home to celebrate the end of Ramadan and Eid Kabir Sallah festival with their families in Uromi, Edo State, was startling, sad, and extremely upsetting, he said.

"This heinous act is totally unacceptable, and we condemn it in the strongest terms."

Jiddere claimed that although the North has previously seen numerous violent acts from some southern regions, these instances "must come to an end."

In his call for swift action, he called for "the arrest and trial of all individuals responsible for the attack and the brutal killings of the innocent travellers."

The NEF additionally requested "a public prosecution of the perpetrators and those that aided the crime to ensure full transparency and accountability."

In addition, the forum requested "the due payment of compensation to the families of the victims, in line with the prescribed standards of their respective faiths."

Furthermore, NEF insisted on "an unreserved apology from the people and authorities of Edo State, with a commitment to ensuring that such inhumane behaviour never occurs again.

"The Edo State Government sincerely apologizes to the North for this horrific assault on its citizens. The public must witness the offenders' punishment in order to deter such violent crimes in the future.

The Federal Government and the Edo State Government were given a 14-day ultimatum by the forum to comply with the demands.

"Failure to do so will compel the North to take all necessary actions to seek justice for her people and the North," the statement stated.

In order to preserve peace, stability, and national unity, the NEF also asked the Nigerian government to make sure that the victims and their families receive justice.