Uromi: Edo residents flee towns over likely reprisal attack, arrest

“The area remains deserted, with few motorbikes passing through. However, at around 12 noon on Monday (yesterday), police returned to arrest more people. The community has been plagued by incessant kidnappings, carried out by hunters and herders from the northern part of the country.

‘’In the latest incident, a young lady was kidnapped in front of her gate on Sunday, March 30, 2025. Her captors had yet to call for ransom as of 2 pm today (yesterday).’’

Vanguard also learned that some residents, especially youths, have been quietly leaving the town for fear of reprisal and arrests by security agents.

Most of the residents who spoke to Vanguard on grounds of anonymity, said though not justifying the killings, the victims were suspected kidnappers and not hunters as presented to the public.

They explained that the victims were sighted near Ubiaja, headquarters of Esan South-East, which is close to Uromi.

Ubiaja is also suffering the same menace of kidnapping and it is where the victims were said to have entered a truck with their arms and cash.

Another resident, who identified himself simply as Mr Akhere, told Vanguard: “In as much as we are not justifying the killings, because two wrongs don’t make a right, these people are not hunters as claimed because the hunters we have seen also go with dogs.

“Our local vigilantes have been on the trail of these suspected kidnappers. It has been tough for everybody, so on the fateful day, these people were sighted near Ubiaja where they flagged down a truck coming from the east and they entered with their guns and luggage believed to include huge sums of money.

“I think where the vigilantes in Uromi that stopped them missed it was not handing them over to the police, instead of resorting to self-help and you know many of the people who were around have been victims of kidnappings directly and indirectly in the area.

‘’Yes, we condemn the illegal actions but government has also been slow in taking action against these kidnappers. They have been killing, maiming our people and raping our women in the farms.”