ZAMBOANGA CITY—Gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits seized four electric cooperative workers Thursday in the nearby island province of Basilan, even as government troops arrested an alleged Abu Sayyaf bandit suspected to be involved in the kidnapping of the ABS-CBN news team and a peace advocate in the island province of Sulu.

The Joint Task Force Comet (JTFC), headed by Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban reported that the suspect, Jul Akram Hadjail, was arrested Thursday in the vicinity of the airport in Jolo, the provincial capital.

As for the four new kidnap victims, Basilan police provincial director Senior Supt. Salik Macapantar said they were seized in barangay Sinulatan in the town of Tuburan.

Macapantar identified them as Emilberto Singson, Alberto Singson, Paul Herwit and Ian Herwit, all meter readers of Basilan Electric Cooperative (Baselco).

Initial reports said the victims were walking in sitio Bato-babag in the village of Sinulatan when the bandits seized them at gunpoint.

Macapantar said they were said to be headed by a certain Nurhassan, an alleged Abu Sayyaf leader operating in Basilan.

Baselco is the sole power distributor in the entire province of Basilan that comprises two cities and 11 towns, including Tuburan.

Tuburan is a third-class municipality and politically subdivided into 10 barangays.

Meanwhile, Mayor Joel Maturan of Ungkaya Pukan town disclosed that the Abu Sayyaf is recruiting new members into the bandit group, and most of those recruited were in their teens.

In a separate development, the man implicated in the ABS-CBN kidnapping, Jul Akram Hadjail, was arrested Thursday near Jolo airport by troops from the 3rd Marine Brigade headed by Col. Eugenio Clemen.

There is a P150,000 bounty for the arrest of Hadjail alias “Dodong,” described by Clemen as a long-time driver of the late Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadafy Janjalani before he became the supply and liaison officer of bandit leaders Radulan Sahiron and Jul Asbi Jalmaani.

He is facing multiple murder and frustrated murder cases in court, Clemen disclosed.

Task Force Comet reported that Hadjail is suspected to be involved in the June 8 kidnapping of ABS-CBN senior reporter Ces Oreña Drilon, her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama and peace advocate-guide Prof. Octavio Dinampo.

They were seized in barangay Kulasi, Maimbung, while on the way to conduct interviews for a special coverage.

Valderama was freed on June 12, while Drilon, Encarnacion and Dinampo were released on June 17 by the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

Sabban disclosed that troops tracking down the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers have recovered three bodies of suspected bandits in Omar municipality.

Sabban said the bodies were recovered by the troops while combing a forested area in the said town.

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