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My Time With the Bandit Warlords of Nigeria
[Hudson] Sitting in a plastic chair under the shade of a large rosewood tree, Alhaji Auta apologizes that he cannot serve me a full meal. He had planned to slaughter a ram in anticipation of our interview, but he was distracted by airstrikes that morning that killed some of his cattle."The airstrikes never hit us," the 38-year-old says as he gestures to the gun-toting figures surrounding him. In fact, Auta claims, the Nigerian military never comes into the bush for a fair fight. "They just scatter our herds and harass innocent people in the villages." Beyond this group of 50 or so fighters crammed under the tree’s shade, I can see nothing but shrubby grassland and some hills in the distance, behind which lies the virtually unmarked border with Niger. I know we must be near Auta’s camp, but he does not trust me enough to take me to that forested militant community. Posted by: Omomolet Phutch9064 2021-12-07 |
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