Again, Police Stop Northern Hunters in Edo

Edo Police Clarify Interception of Northern Hunters, Not Armed Herdsmen—Urge Caution Against Misinformation

Just two weeks after panic spread across the country over the interception and mob attack of 16 hunters from Kano State in Uromi, Edo State, another group of hunters from the north has been stopped in the same state.

The Edo State Police Command confirmed that four hunters from Kano State were intercepted by operatives of the Edo State Security Network upon their arrival in the state. The men were found in possession of firearms and ammunition.

In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Joel Yamu, the police clarified that contrary to viral reports on social media, the individuals arrested at a hotel in the state were not armed herdsmen, but hunters.

The suspects were identified as Yusuf Abdulkarim, Mujaheed Garba, Shittu Idris, and Jamilu Habibu.

Items recovered from them included three Dane guns, six empty cartridges, three half-filled cartridges, four cutlasses, and two daggers.

“The Edo State Police Command is aware of the misinformation circulating on social media, suggesting that four armed herdsmen were arrested at Americanus Hotel on Osemwenkhae Street, after Big Joe Motors, Ramat Park, Orogbeni Quarters, and handed over to the police,” the statement said.

“Preliminary investigations reveal that the individuals in question are hunters from Doguwa, Kano State, en route to Uvbe community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State. Investigations are ongoing,” the statement added.

Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, urged residents of Edo State to refrain from spreading unverified information capable of inciting fear and tension in the community.