A leader of hunters who follow troops in fighting Boko Haram insurgents in Borno state – has revealed the charms he and his colleagues use in order to protect themselves. The hunters who are said to be 28,000 in number, go everywhere with the military and help them with the terrain in fighting against the terrorist as they have recorded numerous successes in recent times.

According to one of their leaders, they use traditional charms that protect them from harm. One of the charm is a deflection method which makes bullets not to penetrate the skin even after piercing a car.

The charm itself is reportedly made of a bullet wrapped in animal skin’.(Hunters here are also herbalists. Traditional charms and amulets are part of ancient culture dating back to precolonial times. It is passed down from generations to young men who carry on with the tradition and continue as hunters in villages across Borno)

According to Bits of Borno, another charm called the Yetsu was also revealed. The charm is meant to be rolled on a piece of paper and then smoked. When the hunters go to the forest after this, they appear blurry to the enemy.

“The enemy can’t really see you. It’s like a windy day, he can’t focus. And the bullets start flying off in other directions because he can’t see us”, the hunter was quoted to have said.