The Benue State Civil Protection Guard has arrested four individuals claiming to be members of the National Hunters and Forest Security Services, an organization reportedly involved in combating Boko Haram and other insurgent groups in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The suspects were apprehended in Aliade, the headquarters of Gwer Local Government Area, with the assistance of local vigilante groups.
They were later paraded in Makurdi on Wednesday by the Commandant of the Civil Protection Guard, Captain Ajovi Ajobi (Rtd.).
According to Ajobi, the self-proclaimed hunters, who claimed to have previously supported security forces in fighting insurgents in the North East, arrived in Benue just two days before their arrest.
Two of the suspects, Hassan Abubakar and Mohammed Maiduguri, told journalists in broken English that they were part of a 28-member team brought from Nasarawa State by a Chinese construction company.
They claimed their mission was to secure the company’s property and expressed confusion over their arrest.
The suspects further alleged that they were not informed they would be deployed to Benue, stating that their original assignment was in Nasarawa State, where the Department of State Services (DSS) had been notified of their presence.
They also recounted their prior involvement in counterinsurgency operations against Boko Haram in Maiduguri, which they claimed led to their recruitment by the Chinese firm.
Joseph Har, the Security Adviser on Internal Affairs to Governor Hyacinth Alia, revealed that the arrest of the four suspects led to the discovery of 24 additional individuals reportedly connected to the group, prompting a broader search by security forces.
Har noted discrepancies in the suspects’ accounts during verification with security agencies.
The suspects have been handed over to the police for further investigation.
Recovered from them were two pump-action rifles and several cartridges.
