By Jethro Ibileke
The Edo State Police Command has swung into action, arresting 14 suspects linked to the brutal lynching of armed hunters in a truck at Udune Efandion community, along the Uromi/Obajana Expressway.
This comes few hours after President Bola Tinubu ordered manhunt for the killers of the hunters
According to a statement by the Command’s spokesman, CSP Moses Yamu, the chilling incident unfolded on 27 March 2025, when a truck with registration number KKF 225 XA, traveling from Port Harcourt with 25 passengers from Elele, Rivers State, was intercepted by local vigilante members in Uromi.
Some of the travelers, found in possession of locally made dane guns, were detained.
“While this was ongoing, some vigilante members raised the alarm of them being suspected kidnappers, which led some members and passersby in the community to attack and lynch sixteen (16) of the occupants while the truck conveying them was equally burnt,” the statement revealed.
Police operatives from the Uromi Division, acting swiftly on intelligence, stormed the scene, rescuing ten (10) of the travelers.
“Two (2) of the survivors sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to a hospital where they are currently responding positively to treatment,” Yamu stated.
Following an intensive investigation, 14 suspects have been arrested in connection with the gruesome crime.
Authorities have also convened an emergency meeting with stakeholders and community members to douse tensions and prevent further violence.
Meanwhile, in a bid to maintain law and order, a unit of the Police Mobile Force, along with other tactical teams, has been deployed to the area.
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, has called for calm and peaceful coexistence among various groups, urging residents to cooperate fully with law enforcement as investigations continue.
She also issued a stern warning against reprisal attacks or unlawful gatherings that could inflame tensions further.
