Mysterious Snakes, Bees Attack Boko Haram Camp; Kill Many

MAIDUGURI—Some members of the Islamist
sect, Boko Haram, arrested yesterday at Mairi
ward behind University of Maiduguri by
members of the Civilian JTF vigilante group,
have confessed that most of them are fleeing
the Sambisa Forest to areas across Borno State
owing to what they believe is spiritual attacks
from mysterious snakes and bees, which had
killed many of their leaders.
sambisa-1According to Kolo Mustapha, one of
the arrested insurgents, “most of us are fleeing
because there are too many snakes and bees
now in the forest. Once they bite, they
disappear and the victims do not last for 24
hours.
“We were told that the aggrieved people who
had suffered from our deadly mission, including
the ghosts of some of those we killed, are the
ones turning into the snake and bees.”
‘Our leaders fled, too’
He said some of their leaders have escaped to
Cameroon because they are known to the
Nigerian authorities and could be easily
identified. According to him, those of them who
lived all their lives in Maiduguri have nowhere
to run to. So they returned and tried to sneak
into town.
He said they came in last night and were trying
to hide in some uncompleted buildings, when
some members of the Civilian JTF saw them.
He said: “We are pleading with them to spare
our lives. We were forced into the sect. But we
know that it is not the right way. I personally
have never killed anyone, but I have my friend
here who had killed many people.”
Umar Abor, the other arrested sect member said
Kolo Mustapha was lying as they had
participated in all heinous acts of the sect.
He said: “We have fought together since 2010.
We have fought in Marte, Bama, Buni Yadima
and Gwoza. We were not in Chibok. We have
not seen the girls, but we heard about the issue.
“Our leaders have been talking about it and we
have been following all news from the radio. We
decided to flee when almost all our comrades
are leaving the Sambisa because of constant
attacks by snakes and bees, which we were told
was as a result of Chibok abducted schoolgirls.
“They (our leaders) told us that it was our
enemies and aggrieved people that are hunting
us through diabolical means. We were in the
forest in 2010 and 2011. We left and came back
last year but we have never experienced such
attacks.
“That is why they believe the Chibok people are
using juju to pursue us because of their children
said to have been taken by our leaders.”
‘We‘ll reveal our hiding place’
According to him, they have realised their
mistakes and repented, promising that if they
are spared they would help the community in
fishing out some of their comrades and will lead
security agents where their comrades had fled.
One of the leaders of the Civilian JTF said many
of the sect members had been fleeing the
Sambisa Forest in the past two weeks and that
most of them are being arrested and taken to
the authorities, except when they resist arrest,
in which case they are left with no option but to
kill them.
He said: “These ones have not attempted to run
or do anything bad. They promise to take us to
where they hide their weapons. We are taking
them to the chairman of our sector command
before they are handed to security operatives.”