Two female hunters in Taraba, Aisha
Bakari and Habiba Husseini, on Tuesday
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. (NAN)