*A STATEMENT BY THE ESAN DESCENDANTS ASSEMBLY (EDA) WORLDWIDE ON THE UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT IN UROMI
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.
Yet, as we mourn and apologise, 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 lead 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.
We call on Governor Monday Okpebholo, Commissioner of Police, Director of DSS, Heads of relevant Security outfits, and the 4th Mechanized Brigade and all in authority to wake up from 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!
Signed:
Prof. G.R.A Okogun
Chairman, EDA Worldwide
Saintmoses Eromosele (SME)
General Secretary, EDA Worldwide
