Taraba Hunters Say Bandits from Other States Have Surrounded Jalingo

Hunters in Taraba State have raised an alarm that armed bandits from other states have surrounded Jalingo, the state capital.

They say that hundreds of the bandits were sighted around mountainous areas in forests armed with sophisticated weapons.

Chairman of the State Hunters Association, Adamu Dantala, said the bandits had killed 22 of their members, including 18 in Bali local government area, on Tuesday.

He said the bandits moved to the states from Zamfara, Bauchi and other states, adding that they had been overpowering hunters because of their superior firepower.

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According to him, the bandits were responsible for the kidnapping and killings in the state’s farming communities and parts of the state capital.

We saw hundreds of bandits around mountain areas and in the forest, they have sophisticated weapons and it appears that the bandits are here to launch a war against the people of the state, he said.

He revealed that though the hunters were very courageous, they lacked sophisticated weapons to fully engage the bandits.

Our members had to withdraw during an encounter with bandits two days ago because we could not match their weapons, he said.

According to him, despite their fight against banditry, they were not getting financial support for the families of those killed or for the treatment of those injured.

The chairman called on the Taraba State government to arm the hunters and provide financial support to enable them to do their best in confronting banditry across communities in the state.