Security Operatives Apprehend Four Armed Hunters In Benue

At least four persons have been arrested by Benue State Civil Protection Guard in Aliade, Gwer Local Government Area, with the support of local vigilance members.

It was gathered that the arrested individuals claimed to be members of the National Hunters and Forest Security Services, a group reportedly engaged in fighting Boko Haram and other insurgents in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Parading the suspects in Makurdi on Wednesday, the Commandant, Captain Ajovi Ajobi (Rtd.), stated that the self-acclaimed hunters arrived in the state two days before their arrest.

Two of the suspects, identified as Hassan Abubakar and Mohammed Maiduguri, told newsmen that they were part of a group of 28 people brought from Nasarawa State by a Chinese construction company.

They claimed that their mission was to help secure the company’s property and expressed surprise at their arrest by the Civil Protection Guard.

The suspects alleged that the Chinese company had not informed them that they would be taken to Benue State for work.

They stated that their original assignment was in Nasarawa State, where a notification letter had been sent to the Department of State Services.

Explaining their background, the suspects recounted their role in fighting Boko Haram in Maiduguri, which led to their deployment to Nasarawa.

Joseph Har, the Security Adviser on Internal Affairs to Governor Hyacinth Alia, said: “The arrest of these four suspects, as first responders, revealed that twenty-four others were in Benue, prompting the police to search for and apprehend them.”