Odd mix of hunters asks to find girls

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Traditional hunters armed with homemade guns, poisoned spears and amulets have gathered by the hundreds, eager to use their skills and what they believe to be supernatural powers to help find nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted by Islamic extremists.

About 500 hunters, some as young as 18 and some in their 80s, said they have been selected by their peers for their spiritual hunting skills and have been waiting for two weeks in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital and birthplace of the extremist group 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

About 500 traditional hunters who believe their magic charms prevent harm have asked for government support to help find the kidnapped Nigerian girls..

demonstrated their skills on Sunday. Cowhorn 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 say their magic charms prevented any blood from being shed.

But the hunters are losing 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.”

Boko Haram is the militant Islamist group blamed for the April 15 kidnappings.

The appearance of the hunters from three northeastern states underscores how deeply the mass kidnapping — and the government’s apparent lack of action — has affected Nigerian society.

A military spokesman did not respond to an emailed question on whether it would take advantage of the hunters.

Meanwhile, south of Nigeria in northern Cameroon, 10 Chinese workers were reported missing after an attack last week by gunmen, the Chinese Embassy in the West African country said.

The embassy said the identity of the assailants was unknown, but it noted that the area had seen frequent attacks by Boko Haram.

U.S. aircraft and camera-carrying drones already are searching for the girls. Military teams from the U.S., Britain, France, Spain and Israel with expertise in surveillance, intelligence-gathering, counterterrorism and hostage negotiation also are present.

Britain said yesterday, however, that a military surveillance aircraft it had dispatched to help search for the missing girls had broken down en route.

Police said more than 300 girls and young women were kidnapped from a boarding school in the remote northeastern town of Chibok, about 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 Sambisa Forest, according to witnesses.

Nigeria’s military insists that it is diligently searching for the girls, but some parents of the girls say villagers in the Sambisa Forest tell them they haven’t seen a soldier in the forest.

Leaders from Nigeria’s neighboring countries met at a French-organized summit this past weekend in Paris to coordinate curtailing the insurgency that threatens the region. British, U.S. and European officials also attended.

And yesterday, the United States said it had come to an agreement allowing it to share some intelligence with Nigeria to bolster the search.

Information from Reuters and McClatchy Newspapers was included in this story.