Insurgents FLEE Sambisa Forest

Two members of the Islamic militants arrested on
Wednesday at Miri ward, behind University of
Maiduguri, by members of the vigilance group, Civilian
Joint Task Force (JTF), confessed that most of
them are fleeing the Sambisa forest, owing to a new
development in the forest, which they believe is a
spiritual attack.
According to Kolo Mustapha, one of the suspected
members of the sect, snakes are now attacking them
in the Sambisa forest.
“Most of us are fleeing because there are
too many snakes in the forest now. Once
they bite, they disappear and the victims
do not last for 24 hours. We were told that
the people of Chibok Local Government
Area are the ones turning into snake and
attacking us in the forest,” he said.
According to reports, the
suspect revealed further that some of their leaders
had escaped to Cameroon, because “they are known to
the Nigerian authorities and can be easily identified.”
According to him, some of them who had lived in
Maiduguri all their lives had nowhere to go, other than
to return and sneak into town.
“We came in last night and were trying to
hide in some uncompleted buildings when
some members of the Civilian JTF saw us.
After we were arrested, some of the group
members were able to identify us.
“We are pleading with them to spare our
lives. We were forced to join the sect, but
we know that it is not the right way. I have
never killed anyone, but my friend here has
killed many people,” he said.
Umar Abor, the other suspect, said Mustapha was
saying half truth, adding that they all participated in
all heinous acts of the sect in the past.
“We have fought together since 2010. We
fought in Marte, Bama, Buni Yadima and
Gwoza. We were not in Chibok, we have
not seen the girls, but we heard about it.
Our leaders have been talking about it and
we have been following news from the
radio.
“We decided to flee when almost all our
comrades were leaving the Sambisa
because of constant attacks by snakes,
which we were told was as a result of
abducted Chibok girls.
“They (our leaders) told us that it was the
people of Chibok that are hunting us
through diabolical means in the form of
snakes. We were in the forest in 2010 and
2011 and we left and came back last
year.”
They promised that if they were spared, they would
help the community in fishing out some of their
leaders and would lead authorities to places some
other sect members had fled to for safety.
Ali Musa, leader of the Civilian JTF at Bama Road
said many of the sect members had been fleeing the
Sambisa forest since the last two weeks, adding that
those arrested were being handed over to authorities,
except some of them who proved stubborn and were
killed.