Female hunters offer to flush out kidnappers from Taraba

Two female hunters in Taraba State, Aisha Bakari and Habiba Husseini, have, said they were ready to assist in flushing out kidnappers from Taraba if engaged by the state government.

The hunters disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jalingo.

They said fighting kidnappers and insurgency required not only force and arms but also indepth knowledge of the conflict terrain and the people around it.

Bakari, who referred to herself as “Queen of Adamawa hunters”, said her colleagues in the remotest parts of Taraba were ready to fish out notorious kidnappers in the state and hand them over to the security operatives.

“All that is required is for the state government to hold a formal meeting with our group and work out the modalities,”she said.

She recounted how a team of hunters she led to northern Adamawa recorded success in flushing out Boko Haram insurgents from the area.

She also promised to use the same strategies adopted in that operation in Taraba.

Bakari said hunters had recorded high level of success in the past four years in battles in Gombi, Maiha and Madagali, noting that the success came with a price as many of them also lost their lives in the battle.

“Our people are combat ready to flush out terrorists from Madagali, but we are constrained by shortage of arms and vehicles.

“Boko Haram is using sophisticated weapons, but our people lack enough rifles and ammunition to face them,” the hunter said.

She called on governments at all levels to support hunters with weapons and vehicles so as to motivate them to face the insurgents head on.

On her part, Husseini said that female hunters in Taraba played a significant role in the recent liberation of many kidnapped victims from their captors.

“We provide useful information to security operatives. I assure you, we will do more if government engages us.

“All we need is support from government and we will perform wonders,”she said.

Hussaini called on women in the state to summon courage and join the hunters association, saying that women were poorly represented in the war against kidnapping and insurgency.