By CHIDI MATTHEW NWACHUKWU

The Esan Descendants Association Worldwide (EDA) has condemned the recent killing of 16 northerners in Uromi, Edo State.

In a statement signed by the Association’s Chairman, Prof. G.R.A. Okogun, the group regretted the unfortunate incident that saw innocent persons hacked to death and burnt up in a most gruesome manner, and deeply apologized to the families and regions affected by the tragedy.

“It is with a heavy heart that we speak today, for a great evil has visited one corner of our land – Uromi – one that has shaken the soul of Esanland and brought sorrow to many homes beyond our borders.

“Seven human lives — men, flesh and blood like us — were taken by fire in the town of Uromi. Burnt alive by a mob, (not the whole Uromi people) driven to madness. And we, the sons and daughters of Esan n’Omon Udu, cannot be silent.

“The Esan Descendants Assembly (EDA) Worldwide, the umbrella of all Esan people and organisations at home and abroad, condemns this act in the strongest of terms.

“It is an abomination. An unspeakable tragedy. And though the deed was done by few hands, the shame falls upon all of us like harmattan dust.

“To the families of the victims, to their communities, and to the states they hail from, we bow our heads in sorrow. We say sorry – not out of formality, but from the depth of our collective conscience.

“We say sorry, because we know that no child should be taken by fire, no mother should be made to weep in this way, and no land should be stained by such horror,” the statement read.

The group however pointed to the root cause of the initial problem which it attributed to insecurity in the form of kidnap, rape and mindless killings in the affected parts of the state, adding that all the efforts made to get government to act decisively and put an end to insecurity in the state and in Uromi, particularly, did not yield any tangible results, hence the recourse to self help.

“Yet, as we mourn and apologize, we must not pretend that all has been well in our land. For years now, worse within the last one year, Uromi and its neighbouring towns have lived under the shadow of terror – of kidnappers who snatch women, virgins, children, and elders alike; of rapists who know no fear; of killers who walk boldly on market days.

“And while our people cried for help, the silence from those who bear the burden of governance was louder than a thousand drums. Frustration oftentimes leads people to insane delusions like the unacceptable madness we witnessed in Uromi.

“When a people are pushed to the edge – when mothers can no longer sleep in peace and fathers must hide their children – something inside begins to die.

“And what we saw on that dark day in Uromi was not justice; it was the bitter fruit of neglect, the madness that comes when a people are left to fend for themselves.

“But madness must not become our way. Esanland is a land of honour, of kings and scholars, of farmers and warriors. We do not kill in the name of fear. We must return to the path of law and of justice,” the statement further read.

The group then called on the Edo State governor, Monday Okoebholo, the State’s Commissioner of Police, and other relevant security agencies, to rise up to the occasion and ensure that insecurity is put to an end in the state.

“We call on Governor Monday Okpebholo, the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the DSS, Heads of relevant Security outfits, and the 4th Mechanized Brigade, and all in authority to wake up from their slumber.

“Let them rise with the same swiftness they showed after this tragedy, and fight the terror that has long tormented our villages. Let them protect the living with the same zeal they now use to count the dead. All lives matter.

“This bloodshed must end – not just in Uromi, but across the forests and farmlands of Edo Central and across Edo State.

“Enough is enough!,” the statement stressed.