Fearless Hunters Ready to Join Search for Chibok Girls and Bring them Back Home Safely if Found.

Hunters

LoudNewsToday-Maiduguri; "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."

Troubled by the delay in the search and rescue of the kidnapped Chibok female students, fearless 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.