The Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) say it is conquering unknown gunmen, kidnappers, armed robbers, and other criminal elements in the forest across the nation.

Commander-General of the NHFSS Amb. Dr. Joshua Wale Osatimehi, who stated this in Onitsha during a working visit to the zonal office of the organization in Anambra state comprising all the five states in the Southeast, said NHFSS is giving a hot chase to criminal elements who seek refuge in the bushes after their crimes against humanity.

Osatimehi who paid homage to some royal fathers in the state, maintained that hunters have proven their gallantry and bravery in the war against disgruntled elements as well as rescued kidnap victims and recovered stolen items kept in the forest by miscreants.

He said they were In Anambra state to synergize with constituted authorities and to intimate them with their modus operandi, adding that the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service has been in existence over the years working in collaboration with constituted authorities across the country to flush out crimes and criminalities in the forest as stipulated in the bill establishing the outfit.

The Commander-General who equally disclosed that the bill establishing the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service has received the blessings and endorsements of the National Assembly and awaiting presidential assent stressed that they were in the zone to further educate officers and men of the organization on the need to be disciplined and more professional in their mode of operation.

According to the NHFSS boss, hunters are the real owners of the forest and not criminal gangs. He however announced that hunters have recorded a series of tremendous successes across Nigeria even as he appealed for logistic support like operational vehicles and motorcycles to chase criminals in the forest.

Another very pertinent issue the NHFSS helmsman raised was the legal framework of the organization. He said if the NHFSS was endorsed by Mr. President, it would boost their morale and also afford them more leverage to work with other constituted authorities.

He, therefore, reiterated that the bill establishing the organization is seeking enactment of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service under the Federal Government. That the bill has scaled through the first, second, and third readings in the National Assembly, and according to him, the bill has been transmitted to Mr. President; that before long the legal framework for the organization would be intact.

Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of the Umuoba-Anam community in the Anambra-East council area of the state, His Royal Highness Igwe George Ekwealor, who was one of the royal fathers visited, eulogized the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service, recalling that hunters were veritable security apparatus in the preliterate era.

Ekwealor who urged officers and men of the NHFSS across the country not to relent in securing the forest from criminals, also appealed to state, federal, and local councils, public-spirited individuals, and corporate organizations to support the hunters in their quest to reclaim the forest from unknown gunmen, kidnappers, armed robbers, and other social misfits.

The Deputy Commander-General (Technical Services) of the NHFSS Amb. Dr. John Chukwudi Metchie, hailed the gallantry of the hunters, saying that they have helped tremendously to improve and enhance local security and vigilance.

Metchie however maintained that rather than sabotage the efforts of the hunters, he said it is of paramount importance that Nigerian hunters should be supported with working tools and other relevant materials to enable them to complement the efforts of other security agencies.

He also thanked Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo for the support his administration is giving to the Anambra Command of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service while commending his strides in the enthronement of a tranquil atmosphere devoid of insecurity.

The Commander-General of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) Amb. Dr. Joshua Wale Osatimehi was accompanied by the Deputy Commander-General General (Admin) Barr. Lawrence Okonkwo, Deputy Commander-General General (Training and Development), the Southeast Zonal Coordinator, State Commanders of the five southeast states as well as other senior officers of the organization during the visit. (Daily Independent)