By Sanee Yarima
Nearly two weeks after rescuing a female victim from suspected kidnappers, the Taraba State Command of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) achieved another success by rescuing three men from a group of kidnappers.
On Monday, March 17, 2025, the VGN operatives stormed the kidnappers’ hideout, located behind a rock in a bush area near Minda village along the Kona-Lau road, based on an intelligence report.
The rescued victims are residents of the Yelwa Abbare Community in the Jalingo Local Government Area. They include Alhaji Umaru Abdullahi (50 years old), his nephew Idi Alhaji Bello (a teenager), and Abubakar Adamu (45 years old), who is an Imam in the community.
Alhaji Umaru Abdullahi recounted their ordeal, explaining that eight well-armed suspected kidnappers stormed his house at midnight on Sunday and abducted him.
He said, “When they woke me up with a stick, I saw them carrying guns. They tied me with a rag and went to my younger brother’s house to take his son. They brought him to us, along with Malam, who was teaching my children and leading us in Tarawih prayers (Sallan Asham), and took us to the bush behind a rock in the Minda area, where they kept us.”
He continued, “They made us carry their belongings on our heads as we moved deeper into the bush. One of the kidnappers beat me, “Abubakar Adamu,” and even threatened to kill me because I wasn’t moving quickly while carrying their ‘Barco Bag’, the contents of which I didn’t know. They also ordered us to carry our foodstuffs while following them.”
The victims expressed immense gratitude to the VGN members and urged both the Taraba State government and generous individuals to support the group, as they continually risk their lives to protect others and their property.
Commenting on this recent success, the Operations Commander of the Taraba State Command, O.C. Munir Bello Abubakar, noted that the VGN has repeatedly pursued these kidnappers from that area, indicating that they were attempting to establish a new camp in Minda.
Abubakar acknowledged that despite the presence of informants among some members of the society who assisted the kidnappers, the VGN was able to dismantle their hideout, pursue them, and rescue the victims.
He stated, “Glory be to God for the successes we record daily in this job. We received reports of the kidnapping and promptly mobilized to take action. Even though there are informants in society, we managed to pursue the kidnappers and rescue the victims. They want to establish a new camp, but we will not relent in our efforts to apprehend them.”
He further revealed that they recovered the foodstuffs from the kidnapper’s hideout.
Additionally, O.C. Munir Bello Abubakar appealed to well-to-do individuals to support the group, emphasizing that the government cannot do this alone.
He urged Governor Agbu Kefas to continue supporting the VGN, as such support would encourage them to collaborate with security agencies in combating insecurity across the state.
He also recalled that nearly two weeks ago, the VGN operatives had successfully rescued a woman from suspected kidnappers in a community in the Ardo Kola Local Government Area of the state.
