[TRIBUNE.NG] AS the military assault against the Boko Haram... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
sect continues in some Northern states, members of the sect might have concluded plans to infiltrate the South-West to seek traditional medicine protection from gunshots.
Sunday Tribune gathered that the last few weeks have seen large-scale efforts being made by people believed to be members of the sect to contact native doctors in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, especially Saki, for bulletproof charms.
Incidentally, Saki and some other Oke-Ogun towns have a very strong Islamic orientation with a large population of northerners, especially cattlemen, already making the area a home.
According to a source who claimed to be in the know about the recent attempt to seek Yoruba traditional protection by the Boko Haram members, a huge amount of money ranging from N5 million to N10 million was said to be on offer "if the amulet is made and tested okay."
"Recently, some strange people have been coming to Oke-Ogun for traditional bulletproof and most of these people are Northerners, though their contact persons are Yoruba. What we learnt was that anyone that facilitates the Boko Haram's contacts' meeting with a herbalist, who could make a potent charm would also get a commission of 40 per cent, with the remaining 60 per cent going to the herbalist," the source said on condition of anonymity.
He noted that the state of emergency in some states of the North and the strict surveillance on the sect coupled with the widely known efficacy of Yoruba bulletproof charms could have been responsible for the sect's search in Oke-Ogun, warning traditionalists to be discerning "so as not to empower destroyers who will return to haunt them and their communities in the distant future."
When contacted on the development, the Oyo State Director of State Security Services (SSS), Mr Charles Ugwu, told Sunday Tribune that he was not aware of it.
He added that he believed the native doctors knew what had been going on in the nation, and if approached by suspected Boko Haram members, they should give information to their community leaders or approach the security agencies in their zone.