Three suspected kidnappers claiming to be miners were reportedly arrested in Taraba State.
General Jeremiah Aliyu Faransa (retd), the chairman of the Taraba State Special Taskforce Committee on Environmental Protection, Public Safety and Prohibition of Deforestation, announced that the suspects were arrested at Garin Mallam Yusuf mining camp in Jamtari ward of Gashaka Local Government Council of the state.
Speaking with journalists on Friday at Mayo Sina mining site in Nguroje Ward, of Sardauna Local Government Council, Faransa identified the suspects as Alhassan Abdullahi, 52, Rabiu Alhassan, 25, and Hassan Magaji, 35.
While Abdullahi hails from Kano State, Alhassan and Magaji, hail from Kaduna and Yobe states, respectively.
Aside from the three suspects that were arrested, other suspects were confirmed to have escaped into the forest with various degrees of gun injuries.
Faransa, who could not fathom why kidnappers are now disguising themselves as miners, said the federal government will soon issue guidelines to mining companies across the country.
He further stressed that the state government will not condone any person or group trying to frustrate Governor Agbu Kefas from actualising his dream of putting the state on the right path.
He added that the three suspects, who at the time of filing this report were in the custody of the taskforce, will soon be arraigned before the special mobile court for prosecution.
(NAN)
