• Super Admin
• 07 Mar, 2026

According to reports, the disturbances followed days of growing tension among residents who say abductions have become increasingly frequent in the community. Violence broke out on Saturday in Auchi Kingdom in Edo State after mounting anger over persistent kidnapping incidents triggered unrest across parts of the town. According to reports, the disturbances followed days of growing tension among residents who say abductions have become increasingly frequent in the community. A member of the Otaru Council in the kingdom, according to Arise News, described the scale of the insecurity facing the area, saying kidnappers have repeatedly targeted residents and demanded huge ransom payments. "For months now, we have been facing a lot of kidnapping issues," the council member said. "Every day, there must be a report of kidnapping. Once they kidnap, the ransom they ask for is from N100million. And we cannot take it anymore." Before the violence erupted, elderly women in the community had staged several peaceful protests across major roads and streets in the town, publicly placing curses on those responsible for the kidnappings and anyone suspected of aiding them. According to the council member, the demonstrations had been ongoing for about a week and reflected the frustration and fear among residents. "For about a week now, elderly women in our Auchi Kingdom have been coming out to protest. Peaceful protest. That enough is enough. Kidnapping is not needed. We do not want it again in our community," he said. However, the protests took a violent turn on Saturday when groups of youths mobilised across the town in response to the worsening security situation. "And today, the youth came out," the council member said. He explained that the youths were attempting to identify individuals without fixed residences in the community, particularly targeting those they believed might be linked to the criminal activities. "Any Hausa without residence is asked to leave. We want every Hausa man or woman to have a place to stay in our community, not by hanging around," he said. "Most of the Hausa boys, at night, you will see them hanging on top of bikes. At night they will sleep until daybreak. So we want every Hausa man or woman to have a place to reside in so that if anything happens, we know where to go." During the unrest, youths reportedly stormed Hausa quarters in the town, setting several houses and shops belonging to Hausa residents on fire. The attacks forced many residents of the affected areas to flee their homes for safety as shelters and properties were destroyed in the violence. Security forces were later deployed to restore calm, with the Nigerian Army intervening to prevent the crisis from escalating further. According to the council member, tensions rose further after soldiers were called into the area during the confrontation. "When the youth came out today to move all the Hausa that were not fully resident in this community, the Hausas went to call soldiers to back them up," he said. He also criticised the military's response, claiming residents felt the troops were siding with Hausa settlers. "They are backing up the Hausa. They are protecting the Hausas, not the Auchi community," he said. "Because they are stopping the women and the youth from the action they are taking." Despite the criticism, the council member acknowledged that the military had been active in the community but said residents felt the response to the growing insecurity had not met their expectations. "That is why the youth and the women came out en masse because they felt that the army was not doing the best of what is expected of them," he added. Historically, Auchi has been known as a cosmopolitan town that welcomes people from different parts of Nigeria who come to live and work there. However, some residents now argue that the town's long-standing hospitality has been abused over the years, alleging that truckloads of Hausa migrants are regularly brought into the community and settle in different quarters. These claims, residents say, have heightened tensions in the area amid fears that the growing population of settlers could further complicate the security situation. Source: https://saharareporters.com/2026/03/07/violence-erupts-edo-community-youths-protesting-insecurity-target-hausa-quarters-burn