Our movement to kidnappers den leaked, Taraba hunters say

Some hunters hinted Daily Trust shortly after their operations in Mallam Ali, Yalwan Tau and other villages saying informants of suspected kidnappers within and outside the area leaked their movement into the area which enabled most of the notorious kidnappers to escape. 

One of the hunters, who spent three days battling with kidnappers that spoke on condition of anonymity, said the kidnappers have network of informants in Jalingo and the communities they were operating in. 

According to the source, they (the hunters) have discovered several houses in the area where the kidnappers normally kept those abducted. He said owners of the houses used by the kidnappers as hideout were forced to flee by the kidnappers and other criminals. 

The source stated that to the surprise of the hunters the notorious kidnappers had fled the area few hours before their arrival which indicated that information was passed to the kidnappers of movement of the hunters into the area. He said bottles of assorted expensive beers, canned food and different security uniforms were found in the kidnappers’ den. 

The source added that some of the kidnappers and their informants were arrested while some were killed in some of the villages they raided. The source alleged that the gangs of kidnappers who operated in the area for a long time had threatened to kill  any member of the community  who give information of their operation and hideout to security agents. 

He said the hunters freed one businessman whose family were about to pay a ransom of about N4million. “Members of the community were happy that the kidnappers have fled the area but nobody was free in the area before the arrival of the hunters,” the source noted. 

The source commended Governor Darius Ishaku for engaging the hunters and vigilante to help in flushing out criminals from the area.