A group, Esan Descendants Assembly (EDA) Worldwide has
vehemently condemned last week mob lynching of 16 travellers from the at Uromi,
Northern part of the country Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State. The
travellers were reportedly found with guns, a discovery which infuriate the
mob.
A statement by the, chairman, Prof. G.R.A. Okogun said
that all Esan people at home and in every corner of the earth, raise their
voices not in pride but in sorrow, over the mass killing.
Okogun said that EDA mourned the death of the
travellers, who claimed to be hunters, and pray God for forgiveness and to
appease the ever known peaceful and accommodating Esanland and of the blood of
the innocent.
The organization, he noted offered its deepest sorrow
to the families of the slain, the communities from which they came, the states
that raised them, and the nation whose conscience has been wounded.
Okogun lamented that the people of Uromi now live
under siege with daily incidents of kidnapping, uncertainties and hopelessness
having none to trust, adding that they must not however resort to self help and
acts of barbarism.
He said: "For many planting seasons now,
especially in the past couple of years, Uromi and her sister towns have
groaned under the weight of evil: kidnappers striking by night and day, rapists
and raiders invading homes and farmlands, killers walking boldly through
markets and farmlands.
"And as our people cried, the silence of those
meant to protect us sounds louder than the thunder of approaching war. We had
hoped on the commissioning of the Esan Mobile Police squadron barracks for
months unending."
The chairman remarked that justice has been distant
from Esan people but revenge is however, not an option, noting that the madness
that descended upon Uromi may not be a mystery, it is the child of long
neglect. May such dastardly act not rise again. Let God cleanse our land and
repose the souls our innocent brethren. We mourn.
Okogun passionately pleaded with the people not to
feed the madness, no matter how deep their wounds are, emphasizing that the way
of honour must not be forsaken as Esanland is not a jungle.
He insisted: "Never again must we resort to
self-help and barbaric acts. Let us say no to mob justice and never again take
the law into our own hands. Let us put out the fire before it consumes us all.
"Enough blood has been spilled. Enough tears have
fallen. Let there be no more widows weeping by night, no more fathers burying
sons, no more children growing up afraid of roads, forests, and market
paths."
Okogun called on Governor Monday Okpebholo, a fellow
Esan, the commissioner of police; the director Department of State Services;
the commander of the 4th Mechanized Brigade of the Nigerian Army; and all
stakeholders in security management, to rouse themselves at these trying
times.
With a pantheon of leaders like Chief Antony Enahoro;
former Vice-President Augustus Aikhomu,l; former Bendel State Governor Ambrose
Alli; Chief Antony Anenih; and a host of others, he said that Esan are a people
with honour, dignity and with high value for human life.
Comments:
Leave a Reply