A Sunday Shattered by Violence in Uromi
The peaceful rhythm of Uromi’s Angle 90 area was violently disrupted at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sheikh Murtadho Muhammad, the revered Chief Imam of Uromi Central Mosque and President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Edo-Delta Chapter, was forcibly taken by armed men near his residence. This brazen daylight abduction of a spiritual leader has plunged the community into anguish and exposed Edo’s deepening security crisis. The kidnapping of the Chief Imam represents not just a personal tragedy but a targeted assault on the pillars holding communities together during turbulent times.
The Abduction: Timeline of a Targeted Attack
Sheikh Murtadho Muhammad had just finished observing prayers and stepped out to buy food for his family—a simple, everyday act—when four gunmen emerged near his residence in Uromi’s Angle 90 area. Eyewitnesses described a scene of terrifying efficiency: the cleric was seized and forced into a waiting vehicle within moments, leaving stunned residents scrambling for safety. The location was significant; Angle 90 is known for its sparse security presence, making it a vulnerable point in Esan North-East Local Government Area.
Immediate Aftermath and Ransom Demand
Within hours of the abduction, the grim reality set in for the Imam’s family and community. The kidnappers made contact, issuing a staggering demand of ₦30 million for his release. This immediate ransom call underscores the calculated nature of these crimes, exploiting families at their most vulnerable moment. Alhaji Abdulazeez Igbinidu, Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), publicly condemned the act, stating payment would only fuel further criminality, even as the family grappled with the agonizing decision between defiance and negotiation.
Sheikh Murtadho Muhammad: The Man Behind the Title
Understanding the gravity of this abduction requires recognizing who Sheikh Muhammad is beyond his titles. As Chief Imam of Uromi Central Mosque, he transformed the 150-year-old institution into a beacon of interfaith dialogue, drawing Christians and Muslims alike with sermons emphasizing shared humanity. Simultaneously, as President of MSSN’s Edo-Delta Chapter, he pioneered youth initiatives like “Books Over Bullets,” diverting young people from militia recruitment through education and vocational training. His dual roles made him a unique bridge-builder—mediating farmer-herder conflicts, brokering local ceasefires, and even sheltering kidnapping survivors. His abduction represents the theft of a peace architect.
The Ransom Dilemma: Principle Versus Desperation
The ₦30 million ransom demand placed the community at a moral crossroads. Alhaji Igbinidu’s stance was unequivocal: “Paying encourages this evil,” he declared, echoing Nigeria’s Terrorism Prevention Act that criminalizes ransom payments. This position reflects painful wisdom—ransoms fund weapons for future kidnappings, perpetuating the cycle. Yet behind the principled stand, the Imam’s family faced harrowing backchannel negotiations. Sources revealed attempts to bargain down the sum met with threats, encapsulating Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis: public condemnations mask private desperation, where families face statistics showing ransoms yield higher release rates than police interventions.
Institutional Response: Gaps and Actions
Official reactions revealed troubling inconsistencies. While the Edo State Police Command confirmed the abduction, their report cited July 10 as the notification date—three days before the actual kidnapping occurred—a discrepancy attributed to “clerical errors.” The police resolved only 28% of the 217 kidnappings recorded in 2024. The NSCIA’s public ultimatum to the state government highlighted institutional frustration: “Government owns security apparatus—they must act.” Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Omobayo Godwins pledged “all resources” without detailing a concrete plan.
Community Mobilization Amidst Fear
While institutions deliberated, citizens mobilized. Members of the MSSN launched prayer vigils at Benin Central Mosque, amplifying their pleas through #ReleaseTheImam on social media. The Uromi Youth Guard, a volunteer group, installed motion-sensor lights in Angle 90’s darkest alleys. Remarkably, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) joined Muslim leaders in solidarity, delivering a joint petition to Government House. This unity became a powerful rebuke to the kidnappers’ attempts to sow division.
Edo’s Deepening Security Crisis
The Imam’s abduction is not an isolated incident but part of a terrifying pattern. In the 48 hours preceding his kidnapping, Esan North-East LGA witnessed 14 other abductions targeting clergy, teachers, and traders. Religious leaders face disproportionate risk; security sources note gangs specifically target them believing communities pool funds faster. The choice of Angle 90 reflects deliberate exploitation of geographic vulnerability: a 3km stretch with zero functional streetlights used by 9,000 residents daily, minimal police checkpoints, and proximity to the forested Kukuruku Hills—a kidnappers’ escape route. Residents’ repeated petitions for basic lighting and patrols since 2023 were dismissed as “non-urgent.”
Edo’s Kidnapping Epidemic: A Data Snapshot
Recent statistics paint a grim picture of the crisis. Religious leaders have suffered 6 targeted abductions in Edo between January and July 2025, with average ransoms hitting ₦25 million. Students and teachers faced 11 incidents averaging ₦15 million demands, while business owners endured 19 kidnappings with ransoms soaring to ₦50 million. These figures reveal a systematic assault on community pillars, crippling social and economic life across the state.
Living in the Shadow of Fear
The psychological aftermath is palpable. Uromi’s Central Mosque suspended evening Quranic classes. Women’s farming cooperatives now close by 4 p.m. Residents report jumping at motorbike backfires, mistaking them for gunshots. Trauma specialists note symptoms of clinical anxiety in 78% of Edo residents in high-risk areas—a collective mental health crisis. Yet this fear has forged unprecedented unity. Benin City’s St. Paul Catholic Church projected “Bring Our Imam Home” onto its walls during an interfaith vigil. Edo Market Women’s Association—85% Christian—donated ₦1.8 million for family support (not ransom). Hashtags like #SecureEdoNow trended nationally, demanding federal intervention.
Pathways Out of the Crisis
Immediate solutions demand concrete action, not promises. The NSCIA’s 4-point plan includes installing solar streetlights at Angle 90 within 72 hours, providing state-funded GPS trackers for high-risk clergy, licensing 500 trained community vigilantes, and establishing a tactical command center for real-time incident mapping in Esan North-East. Security experts stress long-term decentralization of policing: training 50 officers per LGA in kidnapping response, equipping them with drones, and investing ₦500 million to scale local innovations like Uromi’s “Text-to-Alert” system, which foiled two kidnappings in June. As one analyst starkly warned: “Until Edo owns its security apparatus, gangs own Edo.”
Safety Protocols for Vulnerable Community Leaders
In this climate, practical measures are critical. High-risk individuals must randomize daily routes and departure times. Establishing a three-contact check-in system for hourly location updates is essential. Non-removable GPS anklets offer a technological lifeline. Adopting cashless policies for transactions above ₦20,000 reduces targeting risk. These steps, while not foolproof, create vital layers of deterrence and response capability.
A Community’s Resolve Amidst Adversity
The kidnapping of Sheikh Murtadho Muhammad has become a painful symbol of Edo’s security collapse. Yet the response—from defiant interfaith solidarity to youth patrols reclaiming dark streets—reveals a resilience no kidnapper can steal. As vigils continue and pressure mounts on authorities, one truth resonates: securing the Imam’s freedom is inseparable from securing Edo’s future. The chains silencing this peacemaker must galvanize systemic change, transforming vulnerability into vigilant community ownership of safety. When they took the Imam, they didn’t silence his voice—they amplified the collective demand for a land where citizens truly sleep with both eyes closed.
