The local hunters in Odo-Ijesa community in Osun State on Saturday arrested two suspected kidnappers after a hot chase to rescue two people abducted in the community.
The hunter said nine kidnappers invaded the community and abducted three persons but one of the victims escaped from them while they took away two persons.
The commander of the Hunters Group of Nigeria (HGN), Osun Command, Chief Nureni Ahmed confirmed the arrest of the kidnappers.
He said the suspects have been handed over to the police and that his men were on the trail of the remaining kidnappers.
Nureni said “these kidnappers have been terrorising the community. They were nine. We caught two of them. We are chasing the rest. We have deployed more hunters from Osogbo to support our men there.”
“Hunters know the nooks and crannies of that forest because we have been chasing animals there in the dead of night even when we were children.
“These kidnappers cannot hide like the fast animals that we chase and kill in that forest. We shall rescue the victims alive”, he added.
The Chairman of Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in the state, Chief Amitolu Shittu, while commending the hunters for the feat said hunters know the terrain in every community and possess native intelligence and traditional tools to accomplish their mission.
He lauded the police for cooperating with the hunters in ensuring security of lives and property in the state, particularly in the far remote localities.
He said the Community Police Initiative is working and must be sustained.
As at the time of filing this report, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Folashade Odoro, could not be reached for official comments.
