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| Abducted Chibok schoolgirls |
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| Nigeria Traditional Hunters |
Worried by the prolonged delay in the search and rescue of the kidnapped Chibok female students, traditional hunters armed with home-made guns, poisoned spears and amulets have gathered in their hundreds, eager to use their skills and what they believe to be supernatural powers to help find the girls abducted by Islamic extremists last
week.
Some 500 hunters, some as young as 18 and some in their 80s, said they had been specially selected by their peers for their spiritual hunting skills and had been waiting for two weeks in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and the birthplace of Boko Haram, to get the backing of the military to get moving.
With Nigeria's military accused by many citizens of not doing enough to rescue the girls, the hunters demonstrated their skills to an Associated Press (AP) reporter on Sunday.
With cow horn trumpets echoing eerie war cries from the screaming and chanting men who twirled knives and swords with dexterity, occasionally stabbing and cutting themselves with no apparent harm.
The hunters claimed their magic charms prevented any blood being drawn. They also trust amulets of herbs and other substances wrapped in leather pouches as well as cowrie shells, animal teeth and leather bracelets, including a cocktail of fetish equipage which provides them spiritual Teflon that protects them from being pierced by bullets. It will ultimately be a contest of traditional armoury against western arsenal.
The appearance of the hunters from three northeastern states underscores how deeply the April 15 mass kidnapping - and the government's apparent lack of action - has affected Nigerian society. It has spawned demonstrations and a tidal wave of commentary in the media, including social sites like Twitter and Facebook.
A spokesman for the hunters stopped short of actually criticising the military.
“We're not saying we are better than the soldiers, but we know the bush better than the soldiers,” said Sarkin Baka. The hunters said they had gathered at the suggestion of a state legislator.
A military spokesman did not immediately respond to an emailed question from AP on whether it would take advantage of the hunters’ local knowledge.
In contrast to the age-old stalking and tracking skills offered by the hunters, US aircraft and camera-fitted drones are searching for the girls. Military teams from America, Britain, France, Spain and Israel with expertise in surveillance, intelligence gathering, counterterrorism and hostage negotiation are also on the ground.
But Nigeria’s military insists that it is diligently searching for the girls and says near-daily aerial bombardments of the forest that began in mid-January were stopped to avoid accidentally hitting the girls.
“Our troops are out there combing the forests and all other possible locations searching for our fellow citizens. International support is also there assisting the process,” Mike Omeri, a government spokesman, said last week.
Some parents of the abducted girls say villagers in the Sambisa Forest tell them they haven’t seen a uniformed soldier in the forest.
Pogu Bitrus, a Chibok community leader, said the savannah type openness of most of Sambisa, a national game reserve, should make it easy to survey from the air, though the extremists are believed to have camps in densely forested parts.
The insurgents recently bombed the only bridge linking Borno State to Cameroun and Chad, where they have hideouts in mountain caves and another forested game reserve.
Meanwhile, the hunters said they are reaching the end of their patience.
“We are seasoned hunters, the bush is our culture and we have the powers that defy guns and knives; we are real men of courage, we trust in Allah for protection, but we are not afraid of Boko Haram,” said one elderly hunter, Baban Kano.
“If government is ready to support us, then we can bring back the girls. But if they are not, they should tell us so that we can disband and return to our homes and family.”
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