Sunday Chukwudiegwu Mmeribe, the leader of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Services, NHFSS, in Abia State, has said that his members have cleared forests in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, of criminal elements.
Mmeribe, who spoke on his team’s operations, said his members relied on tip-offs from local farmers in arresting drug dealers and other criminal elements hiding in Abia’s forests, adding that his members’ efforts contributed to the security witnessed in Umuahia during the yuletide.
He further said that they usually obtained valuable information from traditional rulers and also collaborated with security agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
According to him, since 2016, the Forest Guards have been arresting kidnappers, child trafficking syndicates, and other criminal elements, promptly handing the suspects over to the appropriate security agencies within 24 hours.
He also disclosed that the Ikpa forest, located between Ubaha and Umuezeoma in the Oriendu Ancient Kingdom in Umuahia North LGA, has been significantly sanitized of criminals, pointing out that farmers, particularly women, were harassed or assaulted in the past by criminals, which scared villagers from going to their farms.
Commander Mmeribe, who praised Governor Alex Otti’s efforts in tackling criminal activities in forests and other localities in Abia, appealed to his administration for functional vehicles and other resources to enhance their operations, lamenting the lack of support.
Media Talk Africa recalls that traditional rulers in Umuahia North LGA, in December 2024, invoked bees and death on kidnappers operating inside the forests in Umuahia North LGA.
