Again, Edo Vigilante Group Under Fire For Extrajudicial Killings, Unlawful Detention

By Khalid Idris Doya

Migrant victims in Edo state Malam Musa Sale (now deceased), Malam Ahmadu Ibrahim (now deceased), Mr. Yusuf Abubakar, and others have petitioned the Nigerian Police Authorities against some members of a Vigilante Group operating within Ekoma in Edo State over unlawful detention and killing.

The victims, through their solicitors from Saraki, Ahmed & Partners in the petition to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), said that the unlawful and barbaric actions of the accused have resulted into their brutal assault, killing, and unlawful detention.

The solicitors have in the petition signed by Hussaini Saraki, Esq. of Saraki, Ahmed & Partners said that their peace loving cattle herder-clients were on 9th of September, 2025 lawfully moving with their cattle in search of pasture around Ekoma, Edo state, when they were intercepted by members of the local vigilante group.

“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”, solicitors said.

They added, “When the survivors returned home, they informed their elders, who decided to formally report the incident to the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Benin City. Upon being briefed, the Commissioner of Police directed them to report to the Divisional Police Officer (D.P.O.), Ekoma Division, for proper investigation”.

According to the solicitors, “Acting on this directive, our clients returned to Ekoma, accompanied by Mr. Yusuf Abubakar, a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who assisted them in preparing a formal written complaint to the police”.

“To their utter dismay, when Mr. Yusuf Abubakar and other relatives went to the Area Commander’s office to submit the complaint and seek the release of their missing brothers, they were arrested and detained, and falsely labeled as suspects. They were later transferred from Ekoma to Benin City, where they remain in police custody”.

“Acting further on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, a team of officers from Benin was dispatched to Ekoma to engage with the vigilantes and verify the situation. Upon their arrival, the Vigilantes led the police to a location where they showed them the corpses of the two missing herders Musa Sale and Ahmadu Ibrahim confirming that they had been killed”.

“Disturbingly, instead of ensuring justice, the police have now alleged that Mr. Yusuf Abubakar, the lecturer who only came to assist the victims by drafting a petition, was found with a firearm a claim that is false, malicious, and completely unfounded, as Yusuf came voluntarily and unarmed to the police station”.

Solicitors argued that the entire episode constitutes a flagrant violation of the fundamental human rights of our clients, guaranteed under Sections 33 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which safeguard the right to life and personal liberty.

H.S Saraki explained that actions of the vigilante group in Ekoma amounted to cold-blooded murder, unlawful assault, and detention, while handling of the matter by certain police officers raised grave concerns of bias and complicity, hence the petition to the Force Headquarters for intervention.

Barrister Saraki expressed worrisome that Vigilante groups across Edo State are increasingly engaging in acts of lawlessness and extrajudicial killings, as seen recently in the killing of innocent hunters at Uromi, without facing adequate accountability.

Solicitors in the petition 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.”

“Ensure the arrest and prosecution of all Vigilante members found culpable in the killing of our clients, Malam Musa Sale and Malam Ahmadu Ibrahim. Investigate the roles of all police officers involved in the mishandling, arbitrary detention, or attempted cover-up of the case”, among others.

Barrister Hussaini Saraki expressed confidence that the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police will ensure that justice is served swiftly and decisively in this matter, saying the lives of Nigerian citizens, irrespective of their occupation or origin, must be protected against unlawful killings and abuse by unauthorised individuals masquerading as community enforcers.