By Khalid Idris Doya
Bauchi State, Nigeria
October 25, 2025(Series News Online)
A group of migrant herders has petitioned the Nigerian Police Authorities against members of a Vigilante Group operating in Ekoma, Edo State, over allegations of unlawful detention and killing. The victims, who were intercepted by the vigilantes while searching for pasture, claim that they were brutally assaulted, and two of their members, Malam Musa Sale and Malam Ahmadu Ibrahim, were killed.
According to the solicitors, Saraki, Ahmed & Partners, who represent the victims, the vigilantes' actions were barbaric and unjustified. "Our clients did not resist but cooperated peacefully with the Vigilantes. Shockingly, without any provocation or justification, the Vigilantes brutally assaulted them, forcing several to flee for their lives, while two of them Malam Musa Sale and Malam Ahmadu Ibrahim were captured," the solicitors said.
The solicitors further alleged that when the survivors reported the incident to the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, the Commissioner directed them to report to the Divisional Police Officer (D.P.O.), Ekoma Division, for proper investigation. However, when Mr. Yusuf Abubakar, a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who assisted the victims in preparing a formal written complaint, went to the Area Commander's office to submit the complaint and seek the release of their missing brothers, he was arrested and detained.
The solicitors claimed that the police later discovered the corpses of the two missing herders, Musa Sale and Ahmadu Ibrahim, and that the vigilantes led the police to the location where the bodies were found. However, the police have allegedly been handling the matter poorly, with Barrister Hussaini Saraki, the lead solicitor, expressing concerns about bias and complicity.
The petitioners prayed that the Nigeria Police Headquarters in Abuja should order an independent and comprehensive investigation into the conduct of the vigilante members operating in Ekoma, Edo state, and direct the immediate release of Mr. Yusuf Abubakar and any other persons unlawfully detained in connection with the incident. They also sought the arrest and prosecution of all vigilante members found culpable in the killing of the two herders.
Barrister Saraki expressed confidence that the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police would ensure that justice is served swiftly and decisively in this matter. "The lives of Nigerian citizens, irrespective of their occupation or origin, must be protected against unlawful killings and abuse by unauthorized individuals masquerading as community enforcers," he said.
Tags
Alleged killing