Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has expressed the willingness of his administration to collaborate with hunters to curb insecurity in the state.
Mr Sule made this known while hosting members of the Hunters Group of Nigeria at the Government House, Lafia, on Thursday.
He said that his administration would support them to address security threats such as banditry and kidnappings that were threatening the state.
Mr Sule noted that the hunters have been working with security agencies to tackle the scourge in some parts of the state, “but my dream is to see how government can work closely with them and compensate them for putting their lives on the line.”
He, however, called on the group to co-opt other hunters that are not part of the association for easy coordination.
Sule also called on the national secretariat of the association to unite all hunters under one umbrella for enhanced efficiency.
“It’s normal to have splinter groups in such associations. But, I will call on you, to see how to co-opt all those people we are working with as we really have a lot of respect for them,” he said.
The governor recalled that few months back, he had visited some of the hunters that sustained injuries and were receiving treatment at a hospital in Nasarawa.
He revealed that the State government has since adopted community policing where members of the association have been trained in Makurdi, Benue State.
Earlier, in his remarks, Joshua Shateme, Commandant General, Hunters Group Nigeria, said they were at the Government House, to familiarise themselves with the governor.
Mr Shateme said that members of the association align with the governor over his feat in tackling security challenges.
He extolled Sule’s exemplary leadership, especially in the area of tackling insecurity in the state that has turned Nasarawa the most crime-free state in the North Central zone.
NAN
