Local Hunters: 3 Accused of Kidnapping Have been Arrested in Adamawa

Three local hunters have been arrested in Adamawa State for allegedly engaging in kidnapping activities.

The three suspects had been collaborating with others to help kidnapping across the state’s Girei and Fufore Local Government Areas, according to the Nigeria Police state command, which made the arrest.

SP Suleiman Nguroje, the state Police Public Relations Officer, claimed the suspects (Local Hunters), Auwal Mohammed, 28, Isa Umaru, 40, and Rabiu Mohammed, 19, “have been terrorizing Girei, Daware, and Pariya villages” in the stated LGAs, according to a statement acquired on Sunday.

He claimed that the three suspected Local Hunters, who are all members of the Tambajam and Tsigire Villages of Fufore and Song LGAs as community vigilantes, are partners in the criminal kidnapping activities taking place in that axis.

So far, investigation has revealed that the “above suspects (Local Hunters) betrayed the trust reposed in them by community members as people protecting lives and properties, and went ahead supplying food items and other needs to their fellow kidnappers around that area,” he added.

The suspects were found with a “locally made pistol, one TVS motorcycle, food items, mats, ropes and other items from the suspects,” Nguroje said.

 

Vigilantism (local hunters) in Nigerian

Increasing crime and violence in Sub-Saharan Africa is putting more pressure on the region’s police forces.

Six countries from Sub-Saharan Africa are among the top 20 countries with the highest crime rates in the world. South Sudan, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Libya are the countries involved.

Income disparity, a young population, growing rates of urbanization, under-resourced criminal justice systems, and the proliferation of firearms are all linked to rising crime rates.

Police, particularly in Nigeria, are frequently under-resourced, under-trained, and unaccountable, rendering them ineffectual in combating crime and security threats.

Despite the fact that state police are virtually always ineffective, Nigerian citizens have access to policing services. Vigilantism appears to be a reaction to ambivalence and dissatisfaction with state power.