What does it take for a society to abandon reason and descend into chaos? Yesterday, in Uromi, Edo State, we witnessed a chilling answer to this question. A mob lynched 16 travelers suspected of being kidnappers, brutally burning their truck and leaving a trail of charred bodies in their wake.

This horrifying incident is not just a tragedy, it’s a mirror reflecting the fragility of our humanity and the consequences of unchecked fear.

The details of the event are harrowing. The victims, reportedly hunters from Rivers State, were stopped by a vigilante group and accused of being criminals after locally made dane guns were found in their possession. Without evidence or due process, a mob took matters into their own hands, subjecting the travelers to unspeakable violence.

Some were even set ablaze with tires around their necks-a grim symbol of our collective descent into savagery. How did we, as a society, reach this point?

This incident is not an isolated case. According to a 2024 Amnesty International report, mob violence in Nigeria has surged in recent years, fueled by distrust in law enforcement and a growing culture of impunity. When people feel abandoned by the system, they resort to vigilante justice, often with devastating consequences. But mob violence is not justice, it’s a breakdown of civilization. It’s a sign that we are losing our moral compass and our ability to distinguish between right and wrong.

Governor Monday Okpebholo’s call for a thorough investigation is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough. We must confront the root causes of this tragedy: fear, misinformation, and a lack of faith in our institutions. Social media and word-of-mouth rumors can turn suspicion into hysteria, and hysteria into violence.

We must educate our communities, promote dialogue, and rebuild trust in the justice system. Without these measures, we risk seeing more innocent lives lost to the mob’s fury.

The question remains: are we losing our senses? The answer lies in how we respond to this tragedy. Will we continue down this path of chaos, or will we reclaim our humanity and recommit to the principles of justice and compassion? The choice is ours.

Let this be the moment we choose reason over rage, empathy over fear, and life over death. Only then can we truly say we have not lost our senses.