Uromi Massacre: My Thoughts on the Killings of 16 Northern Nigerians in Uromi, Edo State

The recent killings of 16 Northern Nigerians in Uromi, Edo State, weigh heavily on my heart. Lives were cut short, families shattered, and justice remains unseen. But before we demand justice, we must first seek the truth by asking questions.

Who were these victims? Where did they truly come from? What stopped them at Uromi? Who were the people that stopped them? Why were they carrying hunting guns? Were they truly hunters, or was there more to their story? These questions must be answered through a thorough and unbiased investigation. Killing people based on mere suspicion—simply because of where they come from—is not justice. It is cruelty. It is senseless. And it only deepens the wounds of a nation already struggling with division.

This tragedy did not happen in isolation. Across Nigeria, farmers have been killed, villages terrorized, people kidnapped and fear spread like wildfire. Some say it is the work of Fulani herdsmen from the north; others believe it is a calculated plot by enemies of this nation to turn us against each other. Whatever the case, I believe in cause and effect. The violence in Edo is a result of the seeds of discord sown to cause chaos within our country—a chaos designed to divide us, to make us see each other as enemies rather than neighbors.

But we must resist this trap. Nigeria belongs to all of us—North, South, East, and West. Every citizen has the right to live, work, and move freely in any part of this country without fear of persecution. We cannot allow suspicion and hatred to dictate our actions. Justice must be served, but it must be built on facts, not assumptions. It must be rooted in fairness, not stereotype and vengeance.

Let us rise above the divisions they want to impose on us. Let us demand truth before judgment, unity before conflict, and peace before retaliation. Only then can we build a Nigeria where justice is not just a demand, but a reality for all.