They may be known as the weaker sex but in the battle to flush out Boko
Haram from Nigerian territory, they stand equal with their male
counterparts. Fearless, pretty and bold, the female hunters of Adamawa
State fear neither man nor woman. To them, the common enemy is not their
gender but Boko Haram.
Ladi is a dark-skinned young lady in her
20s. Looking at her, you would hardly believe that she possesses the
boldness to confront members of the terrorist sect. In fact, you would
pass her off as a young man due to her masculine features but she is in
all respects a lady. She smiles as the reporter gapes at her, wondering
whether he is seeing double. But she told Sunday New Telegraph that she
was motivated by the desire to join in the effort to save her nation
from the rampaging terrorists.
She is not alone, our
correspondent gathered, as there are a number of female hunters engaged
in the Civilian Joint Task Force. They are all part of a civilian
vigilante coalition known as Ibn Fadlallah’s forces. Barely literate and
armed with dane guns as well as bows and arrows, they risk lives
helping the armed forces to
hunt members of the sect in the jungles of
the North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
Asked why she mustered the courage to join the effort, Ladi replied: “
Boko Haram’s days are numbered. We are not afraid and we are ever ready to fight them. “
Me, fear death? Never. This is because I believe that we shall all taste it someday,’’
said Ladi, with boldness etched on her face. Ladi, like other male
volunteers was optimistic that, with support and motivation they would
succeed. “
I can assure you that, with support, encouragement and
assistance we can play our own role in fighting the monster called Boko
Haram.
“
We need support from government and individuals to cater for our families,”
she added, brandishing her dane gun. Though she is married, she
declined to disclose personal details for security reasons. Ladi and her
colleagues say they dare to confront the insurgents with the inferior
weapons in their hands, vowing that, “
If you are committed and have
faith in God, you will succeed. We know they (Boko Haram) are using
sophisticated weapons, but that will not deter us from facing them
squarely. “
They thought we would be afraid; never! One can kill a
snake with his or her little stick; commitment, resilience and above
all faith are the key factors,” she concluded.
Ladi is part
of the large army of hunters and CJTF which battled Boko Haram after it
tried to install Amirs (leaders) in Maiha, a town in Adamawa State. They
foiled the move and killed several members of the sect. The civilian
force also helped the armed forces to liberate some of the captured
towns.
A state government official involved in the recruitment
of the hunters and CJTF told our correspondent that it was in order to
stem the tide that the idea of drafting the local hunters allegedly
versed in the use of voodoo powers came up. “We are in doubt about the
sincerity of Nigerian soldiers in the whole operation, and we sense
complicity as what is happening. It could not have been possible without
any form of collusion, so we began to think of other options,” said a
community leader in Mubi, AbdurRahman Kwacham. Afterwards, the civilian
force was mobilised to tackle the insurgents. Ibn Fadlalallah’s army of
local hunters, vigilantes and CJTF members were said to have been
mobilised by creating alliances with towns to fortify and defend
themselves against Boko Haram. “These brave warriors have promised to
liberate the North-East from Boko Haram.
They are preparing and
engaging in combat in Adamawa and Borno. All brave citizens have been
invited to join the legions,” said a community leader who didn’t want to
be named. In the first operation, the local hunters and vigilante group
were reported to have overwhelmed the insurgents. They confronted the
militants in their hundreds, killing dozens of the extremists and
recapturing the town.
Residents said the local hunters were
stationed in some areas for four days, mapping out strategies on how to
recapture Mubi before they finally took on the insurgents. However, the
recapture of the towns by the civilian force elicited jubilation, with
residents chanting songs of victory to God.
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