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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