MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) —
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. Cow horn trumpets echoed eerie war cries from the
screaming and chanting men as they 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, counterterrorism
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.
"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."
---
Faul reported from Lagos, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Andrew Njuguna contributed to this report from Abuja, Nigeria.
No comments:
Post a Comment