A 20-year-old hunter, Abubakar Shehu, has recounted the terrifying moments he endured during a brutal vigilante attack in Edo State that left 16 of his fellow hunters dead.
The group, made up of young men mostly in their 20s, had spent weeks in southern Nigeria hunting wild animals, which they planned to sell back home in Kano State.
They were heading north to celebrate the Eid festivities when their truck was stopped by local vigilantes in Uromi, Edo State.
What followed was chaos. The vigilantes began beating the young men with sticks and machetes. Shehu managed to escape the violent scene by sprinting into the bush.
“I dodged some punches and ran for my life. I fell into a ditch but got up and kept running until I found an abandoned house to hide in. I stayed there until around 10pm,” he said.
While in hiding, Shehu could hear the haunting screams of his friends as they were being tortured. According to reports, many were beaten and later burnt alive.
“I could hear their cries. I was scared they’d find me too,” he said.
Later that night, Shehu made his way back to the road and flagged down a passing truck, whose driver took him to safety.
The gruesome killings have sparked outrage across Nigeria and drawn widespread condemnation.
The police have since arrested 14 suspects connected to the killings, while human rights groups including Amnesty International have called for justice.
In Toronkawa village, Kano State, where the victims hailed from, mourning continues. Adama Ali, the mother of one of the deceased, said tearfully, “I kept calling his phone, but no one answered. I knew something was wrong.”
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has visited his Kano counterpart to offer condolences and promised compensation to the victims’ families.
Meanwhile, the village’s hunters’ association has demanded that those behind the attack be brought to justice.
“I thank God for saving my life,” Shehu said quietly. “But I will never forget what I saw and heard. I just want justice for my friends.”
According to Shehu, what started as a routine stop turned deadly within seconds.
“They asked us to come down from the vehicle. Before we could say anything, one of them hit our leader with an axe,” he told BBC Pidgin.
