GRLife
Meet 38 yrs Old, Boko Haram Nightmare, Aisha Gombi.
“Boko Haram knows me and fear me,” says Aisha Bakari Gombi whose band of hunters have rescued hundreds of men, women and children in Bornu State…
Bakari Aisha Gombi alias ‘Queen Hunter’, is a 38 years old woman, she grew up near the Sambisa forest, where the extremists still operate despite a military offensive last year that destroyed many of their major camps. She used to hunt antelopes, baboons and guinea fowl with her grandfather. Aisha’s hunting skills impressed her father so much that he gave her his hunting rifle.
She began the rescue mission when seven abducted women and four children were being taken deeper into Sambisa forest in Borno State, northeast Nigeria, Aisha Bakari Gombi who was known with her traditional powers and hunting skill with forest navigation, received a call.
The voice was familiar, an army commander asking her to assemble a group of hunters to track them down. The seven had vanished earlier that day after a group of Boko Haram militants attacked their village, Daggu. Three local people were shot dead and cars, houses and food stores set ablaze.
Daggu is a half-hour drive from Chibok where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in April 2014. Both villages are in the region of Borno, which has become all too familiar with such attacks by the world’s deadliest terrorist group.
When the fighters attacked Aisha’s town, she gave up being a seamstress, sold her sewing machine and bought a more powerful rifle then she began to hunts for Boko Haram.
The fighters were chased out by the hunters who led the military onslaught against them. They were hailed as heroes, and as one of the very few women among them, Aisha entered into folklore. Civilians began to call her and ask for assistance in freeing their loved ones from Boko Haram captivity.
There are thousands of hunters in the region who have been enlisted by the military on an ad hoc basis but Bakari Aisha Gombi is one of only a handful of women involved and she has become a heroine for hunters and local people alike because her gallantry has won her the title “queen hunter”.
The first rescue mission in Daggu failed “because Boko Haram was heavily armed. But we saw where [the girls] are being held,” Bakari Aisha Gombi explains the morning after, “we could free them if the military would give us better weapons,” she adds, eyeing the double-barrel shotgun on her lap.
Like many in the rural regions of north-east Nigeria, Bakari Aisha Gombi is Muslim but also believes in traditional spirits.
Aisha uses the opportunity to teach younger hunters how to identify medicinal plants. One of her rituals is to douse fellow hunters with a secret potion to protect them from bullets. Others help them to repress hunger and thirst so they can stay in the bush for long periods.
The hunters know the fighters’ hiding places in the forests and mountains better than most government soldiers.
The 38-year-old leads a command of men aged 15-30 who communicate using sign language, animal sounds and even birdsong.
“Boko Haram know me and fear me,” says Bakari Gombi whose band of hunters have rescued hundreds of men, women and children.
The Nigerian army began recruiting women in 2011, and while the numbers remain low nationwide, in this region some women have very personal reasons for joining the counter insurgency. One of those is Hamsat Hassan, whose sister was kidnapped by Boko Haram two years ago. She has not been seen since.
Hamzat Hassan said, “I couldn’t fire a gun when I asked to join the Hunters’ Association in a town also called Gombi, but all I knew was that I wanted to avenge the people who abducted my sister.” Hassan’s grandparents look after her seven children so she is available to hunt whenever her services are called on.
While most of the group are volunteers who juggle their commitments with other jobs, Bakari Aisha Gombi and Hassan are among the 228 male and female hunters who were recruited on a more formal basis last year by a local government official to wage war against the insurgency.
The Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), in partnership with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), is set to launch the 2024 edition of its “Don’t Drink & Drive” campaign.
The two-day event will take place on December 10th and 11th, 2024, targeted at raising awareness on the dangers of drink-driving and ensuring safer roads for all Nigerians.
The campaign will kick off with a media launch at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, on December 10th, where key stakeholders will address the media, highlighting the campaign’s goals, achievements, and the importance of continued collaboration in promoting road safety across Nigeria. The event will feature prominent executives from the BSG, FRSC, and other stakeholders in road safety advocacy.
On 11th December, the campaign will shift to three major motor parks—Ojodu, Ojota, and Oshodi—where drivers and road users will be engaged through an educational rally. During the rally, drivers will be sensitized on the dangers of drinking and driving, with a strong emphasis on responsible driving behavior. In addition, the FRSC will conduct voluntary breathalyzer tests at these locations, underscoring their commitment to fostering safer motoring environments across the country.
The 2024 edition of the “Don’t Drink & Drive” campaign promises to continue its tradition of educating the public on the risks of drinking and driving while providing the necessary tools for the FRSC to execute its duties effectively.
The BSG and the FRSC remain steadfast in their mission to reduce road accidents and make Nigerian roads safer for everyone.
Spotlight
Niger Delta Congress Rejects ‘Annexation’ of Region by Simon Ekpa at ‘Biafra Declaration Day’
The Niger Delta Congress (NDC) unequivocally condemns the provocative and unrecognized annexation of Niger Deltan lands in a recent “Biafra Declaration Day” organised by an affiliate of IPOB, under the banner of “BRGIE”, which held in Finland.
According to a statement on Monday, signed by Mudiaga Ogboru, the national spokesperson, “the audacious attempt by the terrorist group led by Simon Ekpa, a dual citizen of Nigeria and Finland, to impose an illegitimate and divisive agenda on the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta is not only provocative but constitutes an unacceptable affront to the dignity, sovereignty, and self-determination of our people.
“Let it be stated categorically: the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta—comprising the peoples of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States—have no connection, past or present, with the ideological farce that is Biafra.
“This fascist and irredentist agenda, driven by an external ethnic group with no mandate from or legitimate claim to the Niger Delta, is an egregious attempt to appropriate identities and resources that do not belong to them.
“The people of the Niger Delta have a long and proud history of championing the rights of indigenous peoples. As the first region in Nigeria to demand and articulate the principles of political autonomy and resource control, we are the vanguard of self-determination. Our position is clear: while we categorically reject the retrogressive structure of Nigeria as it stands, we reserve the right to determine our political future on our own terms, free from the impositions of any external group or ideology.
“Niger Delta and Biafra are polar opposites. The Niger Delta Congress rejects, in totality, the futile attempts by IPOB/BRGIE and its affiliates to subsume our distinct ethnic identities into their so-called Biafran project.
“Our people have spoken, repeatedly and unambiguously. We rejected being a part of Biafra when it was first declared in 1967, and not only do we reject it once again, but we will resist it. We are not Biafrans, we will never be Biafrans.
“The Niger Delta Congress calls upon IPOB/BRGIE and all its affiliate groups to desist from these reckless provocations and to recognize that our region will never be a theater for their chaos, tragedy, or economic sabotage. The NDC reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that the Niger Delta remains a zone of peace, progress, and economic sustainability for its people.
“Furthermore, let it be clear that the Niger Delta’s rejection of Biafra irredentism does not equate to an endorsement of Nigeria’s current political structure, which hinges on the ‘majorities’ subjugating the ‘minorities’. Our fight for justice, equity, and true federalism remains steadfast.
“To this end, the NDC will continue to engage all stakeholders in the Niger Delta and beyond to secure our territorial integrity, political autonomy and resource control that is the birthright of our people.
“A Warning to Irredentist Agitators: The Niger Delta is neither a pawn in external agendas nor a colony to be appropriated by opportunistic groups. We are a proud, resilient, and self-determining people, and any attempt to contravene our sovereignty will be met with the full resolve of our collective will. Furthermore we would like to call on the authorities of Finland to check the excesses of this terrorist group as the Nigerian authorities have so far been unable to reign them in. Finally the NDC would like to call on the people of Niger Delta to neither be perturbed or distracted by the antics of these ethnic expansionists and genocidaires, while encouraging them to promptly report any suspicious activity capable of destabilizing our land”.
The Honourable Minister of State for Defence, H.E. Dr. Bello Matawalle is in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to begin talk with the Secretary General of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), Major Gen. Mohammed Bin Saeed Al-Moghedi.
The talks which began at the IMCTC Headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday November 18, 2024 is expected to yield positive results and ideas on how best to approach counter-terrorism in Nigeria.
During the meeting, Dr. Matawalle is expected to talk with other high ranking experts in counter-terrorism fight and logistics management.
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