A man from northern Nigeria has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu and Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, demanding swift action to apprehend those responsible for the killing of 16 Northerners in Uromi, Edo State. In a video circulating online, he warned that failure to act would result in retaliatory attacks against Southerners living in the North.
In the three-minute video, the unidentified man expressed anger over the killings, stating that Northerners would not remain silent. He implied that any retaliatory violence in the North would be the responsibility of Southerners, who he accused of targeting Northerners without provocation.
He also defended the killing of Deborah Samuel, a student in Sokoto who was murdered over allegations of blasphemy. He justified the act by claiming she had insulted Prophet Muhammad and criticized Christians in the South for condemning her death.
The man argued that while Christians view Jesus as God, Muslims recognize him as a prophet. He insisted that Islam strictly prohibits insulting Jesus, unlike what he claimed was the behavior of some Christians toward Prophet Muhammad.
He warned President Tinubu and Governor Okpebholo that many Southerners reside in northern states like Borno, Kano, Jos, Kaduna, and Adamawa. If justice is not served for the 16 Northerners killed in Edo, he asserted, Southerners in the North would bear the consequences.
The attack in Uromi, where the Northerners were reportedly traveling for Sallah celebrations, has sparked widespread outrage. Governor Okpebholo has assured that those responsible would be brought to justice, confirming that 14 suspects have been transferred to Abuja for further investigation.
