Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, on Monday, paid a condolence visit to his counterpart in Kano State, Abba Yusuf, over the killings of 16 Kano-bound travellers last Friday.

Okpebholo arrived the Kano State Government House at noon and was received by Yusuf and other government officials.

The 16 travellers were killed at Uromi in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State by some members of a vigilante group who mistook them for criminals.

The 16 travellers said to be hunters were en route Kano State from Port Harcourt for Eid-el-Fitr celebrations when they were killed in Uromi.

The Edo governor and his team commiserated with the people of Kano and the families of those who were killed.

Okpebholo described the incident as sad and felt sad upon hearing the news. He acknowledged the cordial relationship between the Hausa community and the people of Edo.

He assured the people of Kano of swift justice and noted that 14 people had been arrested and moved to Abuja for interrogations.

On his part, Gov Yusuf demanded that those who perpetrated the brutal crime must be paraded for the whole world to see.

He maintained that Kano remained the most peaceful state in the north and accommodated people from diverse communities.

He thanked his counterpart for the prompt visit and called for immediate prosecution of those arrested for justice to be served.

Both governors called for peaceful coexistence as they visited Toronkawa village in the Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State.

The heinous act has been widely condemned and President Bola Tinubu had given marching orders to security agencies to fish out those behind the killings.

“The President, who expressed shock at the dastardly act on Thursday, directed Police and other security agencies to conduct swift and thorough investigations and punish the suspected culprits,” presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement on Friday.

Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun, has threatened to depose traditional rulers in conflict-ridden communities if they fail to curb communal clashes in their domains.

The governor’s warning comes after renewed clashes in Ifon, Ilobu, and Erin-Osun, resulting in deaths and destruction, prompting the state government to impose a curfew.

The conflict, rooted in a long-standing land dispute, escalated in early March, leading to the burning of houses across the three communities in Orolu and Irepodun LGAs.

On March 28, the Osun governor relaxed the 24-hour curfew imposed in the affected communities to 17 hours–from 2pm to 7am–following renewed communal clashes.

A statement by Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke’s spokesperson, said the governor issued the warning in response to online reports about faceless groups planning further attacks in the conflict areas.

“In the midst of sallah celebrations, I got reports of some people planning another round of conflict around Ifon, Ilobu and Erin Osun towns,” the statement reads.

“The security agencies have tightened surveillance to ensure no attacks take place and are speeding up the interrogation of key chieftains and actors in the conflict.

“I will remind top leaders of the towns that the peace undertaking they are signing are not for joke. They will be held accountable. There will be accountability before the law.”

Adeleke said he relaxed the curfew on “humanitarian grounds,” citing the suffering of innocent people caused by a few individuals instigating violence.

He added that any attempt to exploit the gesture for a renewed violence would result in the full re-imposition of the 24-hour curfew.

“Additionally, I will remove from office, any traditional ruler where violence recurs. This card is on the table,” the governor warned.

“Royal fathers of each town must call their subjects to order. I will wield the big stick. Enough is enough.”

Military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have instituted a 0.5% levy on imported goods originating from Nigeria and other member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

This decision is part of their efforts to finance a new union among the three nations, following their departure from the larger regional economic bloc, as stated in an official announcement.

The levy, which was agreed upon on Friday, takes immediate effect and will be applied to all imports from outside the three countries, although humanitarian aid is exempt from this charge.

The statement indicated that the funds generated from this levy will be utilized to support the activities of the newly formed bloc, although specific details were not disclosed.

This development marks the end of free trade within West Africa, a region that has traditionally operated under the ECOWAS framework. It underscores the growing divide between the three northern states bordering the Sahara Desert and more influential democracies to the south, such as Nigeria and Ghana.

Each of the three nations is governed by military juntas that seized power through recent coups in 2023. They formed the Alliance of Sahel States as a security agreement after exiting ECOWAS. Over time, this alliance has evolved into a prospective economic union, with ambitions for enhanced military and financial collaboration, including plans for biometric passports.

Last year, the three countries withdrew from ECOWAS, alleging inadequate support from the bloc in combating Islamist insurgencies and addressing security challenges. In response, ECOWAS imposed a series of economic, political, and financial sanctions on the trio in an attempt to restore constitutional governance, though these measures have had limited success.