Over 1,000 hunters have been mobilised to join the fight against rising cases of banditry and dislodge the bandits from their hideouts inside the jungles at Lame area in Gumau, Toro Local Government in Bauchi state.

In a chat with Trust TV, the District Head of Lame who is also the Sarkin Yakin Bauchi, Aliyu Yakubu Lame, implored the village heads in the district to pay special attention to the fight against kidnappers and bandits besieging the communities.

The monarch, who said the state government and security agencies had been supportive in fighting the banditry in the state, asked all the citizens to be part of the push out of the criminals and be vigilant of new faces in their areas.

"Because they (bandits) are not living in the remote areas, they live on the hilltops and inside the bushes. Involving hunters in the fight against banditry has started yielding positive results," he said.

In the meantime, the mobilised hunters explained their usual encounters with the kidnappers and bandits while using local weapons, with limited resources.

Leader of the hunters in Gumau, Malam Inuwa said, "We work alongside vigilante groups but we are more familiar with the terrain. We patiently search deep inside the jungles and endure all the stress because we vow not to retreat or surrender until we get them.

"We need assistance to fuel our motorbikes to continue the onslaught against the criminals. We put a lot of effort into getting the job done. Thank God, the Sarkin Yaki is doing well for us," he added.

Daily Trust reported on Sunday that residents of a number of communities have been on edge as abduction cases have surged unabated in recent months.

The seven worst-hit local governments are Toro, Ningi, Alkaleri, Jama'are, Tafawa Balewa, Dass and Bogoro.

The situation prompted Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of the state to make a request to the Air Force Base in Bauchi to begin an air patrol on the criminals' hiding forests due to the gravity of the issue.