Abubakar Shehu, one of the hunters who survived the attack in Uromi, has revealed how he escaped
Speaking in an exclusive interview with BBC Pidgin, Shehu said they were traveling from Port Harcourt when they were stopped at Uromi junction by vigilantes. He said the vigilantes started taking their belongings out of the vehicle without asking them any question. Shehu said they refused to leave the vehicle until their boss instructed them. However, as soon as they stepped out, they were beaten. He recalled that their boss tried to defend them but was struck on the shoulder with an axe.
Shehu said some people told them to run when the situation worsened. He said he managed to escape, ran through a drainage channel and hid in an uncompleted building. He said he stayed hidden until 10 p.m., watching the attack on his colleagues. He explained that they had ID cards to prove that they were hunters, but the attackers never asked to see them.
In Shehu’s words: “When I tried to run, someone tried to kick me with his leg, but he missed. Another person tried to trip me, but he fell instead. I then passed through a drainage channel where I fell, but God helped me get back up. I hid in an uncompleted building and watched everything that happened from there. I hid there until 10 pm. We had ID cards, but they didn’t ask to see them. We didn’t get a chance to show our IDs because they wouldn’t calm down and didn’t ask.”