November 16, 2017

No fewer than 500 local hunters and vigilance group members are being supported by Adamawa Government to help in the fight against insurgency in Madagali Local Government Area of the state.

The Chairman of Madagali Local Council, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Yola on Thursday.

Mohammed said the hunters who knew the terrain were being supported with cartridges and feeding allowances to sustain their contribution in the fight.

He said that the area recorded about 6 attacks within the past one week, with the latest carried out on Wednesday in Sabon Gari village.

The chairman, who did not give the number of casualties from the incidents, commended the efforts of security agents and local hunters in repelling the attacks.

He called on the Federal Government and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to deploy more military personnel to the area, which he said was experiencing growing attacks due to its closeness to the Sambisa forest.

“Our area is under siege, our people are now living in fear; we can’t go to farm or travel with ease.

“I am pleading for more deployment of military and other security agencies,” Mohammed said.

Meanwhile, the Adamawa Government has confirmed Wednesday’s attack by insurgents in Sabon-Gari in Madagali Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, who confirmed the incident, said two of the insurgents were killed.