Kidnappings: Edo Council Chairman seeks inclusion of hunters in community security

Mon, Nov 26, 2018 | By publisher


Security

Yakubu Musa, Chairman, Etsako-West Local Government Area of Edo, on Monday called for the inclusion of local hunters in community security, to curb kidnapping and armed robbery in the state.

Musa made the call at a Security Summit on the Role of Hunters in Community Security in Nigeria, held at Auchi in Edo.

The summit tagged “What Edo Requires on Issue of Security is Hunters Engagement” was organised by the Edo North Hunters Association.

Musa said there was need to incorporate hunters into the community’s security plan, to curb the spate of kidnappings and armed robbery in the state.

He noted that the hunters were conversant with the bush where these kidnappers take their victims to.

“We should find a way to assist the hunters in Edo to be proactive and to be able to secure our people very well.

“We have known that they are the ones who have really assisted us to curb the kidnappings that are ravaging everywhere: Agbede road, Ekperi road, Okpella road, Igarra road and Owan road.

“They have really done very well, they are the ones that can go into the bush and comb the bush to get to where the so called kidnappers are,’’ he said.

Musa said that the council would encourage them and provide them with logistics so that they can secure the lives and property of the people.

A security expert, Mr Afebu Aigbonoga, in a paper entitled: “Role of Hunters in Community Security in Nigeria,’’ said lives and property would be safeguarded if hunters were incorporated into the fight against insecurity.

“The role of hunters in community security cannot be over emphasised. Hunters are needed for community security and stability.

“With hunters incorporated, there would be an end to community insecurity, theft, murder, kidnappings and other vices in our community,’’ he said.

“Hunters are very important elements in the society and can channel their expertise used in hunting to protect lives and property and even secure the arrests of criminals.

“No serious state would jettison or underrate the role of hunters in intelligence gathering and efficient/effective security of any community,“ he said.

Earlier, the President, Edo North Hunters Association, Mr Sunny Omosa, said the association recorded the arrests of 26 suspects for allegedly involving in kidnappings in the senatorial district between January-to date.

“Since 2017, the association has been working with the Nigeria Police Force, we have been able to get eight persons apprehended along Akoko-Edo road, we had four along Afuze/Igarra road, we had three at the Agbede axis.

“And just recently, we were able to get four at Awain with arms and ammunitions, recently again, we were able to foil a kidnap attack along Apana/Ayogwiri road with six persons arrested.

“The kidnappers operate along circular routes in Edo North and hunters are very conversant with the bush and have taken cognisance of these areas,’’ he said.

Omosa assured that the association would continue to do its best to curb the spate of crime in Edo North. (NAN)

– Nov. 26, 2018 @ 14:05 GMT |

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