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| Traditional Nigerian Hunters. Photo Credit: Associated Press |
Credit: Associated
Press
Traditional hunters armed with
homemade 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 nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted by Islamic extremists.
Some 500 hunters, some as young as
18 and some in their 80s, say they have been specially selected by their peers
for their spiritual hunting skills and have been waiting for two weeks in
Maiduguri, the Borno state capital and the birthplace of Boko Haram, to get
backing from the military and 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 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 to protect
them from bullets.
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 media including
social sites like Twitter and Facebook.
A spokesman for the hunters stopped
short of actually criticizing 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 gathered here 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, U.S. aircraft and camera-carrying
drones are searching for the girls. Military teams from America, Britain,
France, Spain and Israel with expertise in surveillance, intelligence
gathering, counter-terrorism and hostage negotiation are also present.
Police say more than 300 girls and
young women were kidnapped from a boarding school in the remote northeastern
town of Chibok, in Borno state and about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of
Maiduguri, on April 15. A total of 53 escaped and an estimated 276 remain in
captivity, according to the police.
They were driven into the nearby
Sambisa Forest, according to witnesses. Unverified reports from two federal
senators from the region and Chibok residents quoting villagers in the forest
and elsewhere indicated some of the girls may have been forced to marry their
abductors and some may have been taken across the border into Cameroon.
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.
In this photo taken on, Sunday, May
18, 2014, armed hunters gather before looking for around 300 abd …
"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 Friday.
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 Cameroon and Chad, where they have hideouts
in mountain caves and another forested game reserve.
Leaders from Nigeria's neighboring
countries including Benin met at a French-organized summit this weekend in
Paris to coordinate curtailing the insurgency that threatens the region.
British, U.S. and European officials also attended.
Meanwhile, the hunters say 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."
