The Benue State Civil Protection Guard has apprehended four individuals who identified themselves as members of the National Hunters and Forest Security Services.
The group, which claims to have assisted in combating Boko Haram and other insurgents in Borno State, was arrested in Aliade, Gwer Local Government Area, with the assistance of local vigilantes.
According to The PUNCH, parading the suspects in Makurdi, the Commandant of the Civil Protection Guard, Captain Ajovi Ajobi (Rtd.), revealed that the men had been in the state for two days before their arrest.
According to him, the individuals claimed to have been part of security operations in the North East alongside conventional security agencies.
Two of the suspects, Hassan Abubakar and Mohammed Maiduguri, speaking in fragmented English, told journalists they were among 28 individuals brought from Nasarawa State by a Chinese construction company.
They alleged that their mission was to provide security for the company’s assets but were unaware of why they were being arrested.
“We were in Nasarawa, working there. A letter was even sent to DSS [Department of State Services],” one of the suspects stated. “We did not know we would be brought to Benue. The company did not inform us.”
Joseph Har, the Security Adviser on Internal Affairs to Governor Hyacinth Alia, confirmed that investigations led authorities to believe more members of the group were present in the state.
“The initial arrest of these four individuals alerted us to the presence of 24 others in Benue, prompting law enforcement agencies to conduct further searches and apprehend them,” Har said.
“After cross-checking their statements with relevant authorities, we discovered inconsistencies regarding their true identities.”
Authorities recovered two pump-action guns and several cartridges from the suspects. The Civil Protection Guard has since handed them over to the police for further investigation.
