By Abdullahi Yusuf

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has strongly condemned the recent killing of 16 Northerners in Uromi, Edo State, describing the incident as an act of ethnic cleansing and a crime against humanity. In a forceful statement, the group called on the authorities to swiftly apprehend the culprits, ensure justice is served, and compensate the victims’ families.

MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, issued the statement on Wednesday, decrying the killings as a consequence of rising hate speech and ethnic incitement in the country. The organization urged the Federal Government to take decisive action to prevent further violence and uphold the constitutional right of all Nigerians to safety and freedom of movement.

Below is the full press release:

EDO KILLINGS: PUNISH CULPRITS, COMPENSATE VICTIMS’ FAMILIES – MURIC

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned the killing of 16 Northerners in Uromi, Edo State. MURIC described the killings as barbaric, heinous, horrendous and reprehensible. Describing the killings as ethnic purging, the group also called on the authorities to punish the culprits and compensate families of the victims.

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday, 2nd April, 2025 by the Executive Director of the group, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“16 Northerners traveling from Port Harcourt to Kano for the Eid al-Fitr holiday were killed on the evening of Thursday, 27th March, 2025 by members of the Edo State Security Corps and local vigilantes at Uromi, Edo State. A viral video showed the victims being surrounded by youths, doused in petrol, and set on fire.

“MURIC condemns this killing in the strongest terms. It is barbaric, heinous, horrendous and reprehensible. It is a crime against humanity. We charge the authorities to apprehend the culprits as quickly as possible in order to give them adequate punishment.

“We assert firmly, emphatically and unequivocally that it is when such crimes are adequately punished that they can act as deterrence. Nigerians from all backgrounds should be able to move freely from one part of the country to another without any fear of molestation.

” Article 14 Section 2(b) of the1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government’. We therefore charge the Federal Government (FG) and the various security agencies to ensure the security of lives of all citizens.

“Buttressing this, Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates inalienable right to life, liberty and security of persons. The ability of governments to guarantee security of lives and freedom of movement has always been a major parameter for the assessment of the performance of leaders.

“In addition, we blame the Uromi killings on the Tsunami of anti-North incitements and the tornado of anti-Muslim hate speeches which emanated from church pulpits and enveloped the Nigerian political landscape before, during and after the 2023 general elections.

“We therefore urge FG to revisit earlier attempts to criminalize hate speech. Nigerian lawmakers are advised to double their efforts in the preparation of bills in this direction.

“Qur’an 5:32 lays great emphasis on the sanctity of life. Personal safety is therefore the first Allah-given fundamental human right. To breach this right is to commit a major sin.

“MURIC demands the payment of such compensation as commensurate with the status of each victim to the families of the 16 victims of this tragic incident. In particular, we demand that the payments be sourced directly from the culprits and their state government or governments. Only thus can the victims’ families be duely pacified.

“Finally, we commend the leadership of Nigerian Muslims as well as Northern political leaders for exercising restraint both in speech and action in the face of this highly provocative and brutal attack. We appeal to Muslim faithfuls throughout the country to follow this good example by remaining calm and law abiding.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).