Nigerian hunter recounts dramatic escape

A Nigerian man has told the BBC how he managed to survive an attack on his hunting party that left 16 of his companions dead, and shocked the nation.

The group of young men, mostly in their 20s, was travelling in the back of a truck when they were stopped by vigilantes.

“They asked us to alight from the vehicle and without saying much, one of them hit our leader on the shoulder with an axe,” Abubakar Shehu, 20, told BBC Pidgin.

“Then they started beating us. I was able to dodge a couple of punches and tackles and ran as far as I could.

“I fell into a ditch, got up and was able to hide in an unused property for many hours before coming out around 10pm,” he said.

While hiding, he could hear the shouts and cries of his friends as they were being beaten and then burnt to death.

“I could hear all the noise from what has happening and I was scared for my life. Thankfully no-one saw me,” Mr Shehu said.

He then returned to the road, where he was able to stop a truck and the driver picked him up and took him to safety.

Last week’s gruesome attack on the group from northern Nigeria heightened tensions across the country. They had spent several weeks travelling in the south hunting wild animals to sell, and were going home to celebrate Eid.

Amnesty International and other rights groups have called on the authorities to make sure justice is served.

President Bola Tinubu also condemned the killings, saying that Nigerians had the right to move freely anywhere in the country. He ordered security agencies to find the killers, adding that “jungle justice” had no place in the country.

Police say they have arrested 14 people in relation to the case and many across the country will be closely following to see how the case pans out.

Relations between northern and southern Nigerians are fraught following years of clashes between northern animal herders and southern farmers over access to water and grazing land, which have left thousands dead.

Along with the lack of security across Nigeria, this is one of the reasons why residents of Uromi town in Edo state, and many others, have set up vigilante groups.

The hunters from the northern Kano state were armed with traditional rifles but they say they showed licences for these weapons when they were stopped by the vigilantes.

For the family of the victims in Toronkawa village, the cries and mourning continue more than a week after the horrific incident.

Adama Ali, the mother of one of the victims, is devastated. “I kept calling his phone but no-one was picking up,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Earlier this week, Edo state governor Monday Okpebholo visited his Kano counterpart to try and ease tensions. He also paid his condolences to the victims’ families and promised them compensation.

Having lost so many of its young men, the village is still in mourning as everyone knows the victims. Their families houses are full of guests paying their condolences.

The chairman of the villages’ hunters association, Mustapha Usman, said nothing would please them more than seeing justice served.

Mr Shehu agrees.

“I thank God for sparing my life and bringing me back home and I pray for those that lost their lives,” he said.