Findings by Sunday Trust have shown that some of the girls that blew
themselves up in Kano State may be among the hundreds of women
kidnapped in parts of Borno and Yobe States since the Boko Haram
insurgency escalated in the last two years. Within this period, hundreds of
girls and women have been abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents but the issue
of kidnappings in the ravaged North-East part of Nigeria only drew national and
international attention on April 14 when 276 girls were taken away from
Government Girls Secondary Chibok in Borno State.
It was also gathered that the deployment of girls, aged between 16 and 19 and even those below the age of 10 may be another strategy to attract international outrage so that the Federal Government could be compelled to release top commanders of the sect in various detention facilities, a credible source said.
A legal practitioner, Barrister Abubakar Sadiq said the use of girls in the suicide missions in Kano unveils a new trend by the terrorists to press home their demands.
“The fact is, besides using the girls as human shield in their various camps, the terrorists are really disturbed that they could not forcefully rescue some of their commanders. My fear is that if something urgent is not done, they would gradually use all the girls in their hands for suicide missions,” he said.
Apart from the Chibok girls, dozens of women have been whisked away by the Boko Haram and are yet to return. Many have been reportedly ferried across the Nigerian borders, while many others have been fully indoctrinated and are doing the biddings of the insurgents, including serving as couriers for movement of arms and ammunitions, as well as doing domestic chores like cooking and washing in various camps and enclaves.
A security source told our correspondent that most of the girls used recently for the suicide mission were not aware that they would die.
“I can assure you that most of the kidnapped girls were not aware of what has been happening…they have no access to radio, TV or cell phones. Those sent on suicide missions were not told that they would be deployed for such acts and did not have access to the remote control being used to detonate the explosives,” he said.
Security sources hinted that it is these girls and dozens of others, who are marked for the purpose of suicide bombings in many places.
The source revealed that: “You may not know that attempts to use some of these girls for suicide missions in places like Maiduguri, Damaturu, Potiskum, Bauchi, Kaduna, Katsina, Jos and other places were averted. The terrorists could not carry out the nefarious act because of many factors, including security measures put in place during the Sallah season.”
According to him, “What happened in Kano could be described as isolated incidences,” he said.
In Maiduguri, for instance, two days after the Muslim fasting ended, the Youth Vigilantes, also known as Civilian JTF, alerted that some 40 suspected Boko Haram members, including women, had been sneaked into the state capital for the purpose of killing and destroying places with explosives.
“Yes, the insurgents had made attempts to wreak havoc, but God did not allow them to execute the evil intention,” Muhammed Gava, a senior official of the vigilantes, said.
Part of the initiative of security forces in Maiduguri was the banning of vehicular movements throughout the Sallah period, a development that forced residents to trek.
Even after the Sallah festivities, the Borno State police command issued a statement advising residents to be wary of unsuspecting women that cover their bodies with hijab (cloth worn by ladies).
A statement signed by the Command’s spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, a DSP said, “The command…cautions residents to be wary of strange females wearing hijabs and moving around crowded places as some of them may be hiding explosives in their undergarments with the intention of causing harm to unsuspecting residents. Residents who sight such persons should immediately alert the relevant security operatives for proper action,” the statement said.
For now, even innocent Muslim women who are used to wearing the Hijab before going out of their houses are gradually setting them aside for other light veils, a development which some clerics believe is a serious setback for Islam.
It was also gathered that the deployment of girls, aged between 16 and 19 and even those below the age of 10 may be another strategy to attract international outrage so that the Federal Government could be compelled to release top commanders of the sect in various detention facilities, a credible source said.
A legal practitioner, Barrister Abubakar Sadiq said the use of girls in the suicide missions in Kano unveils a new trend by the terrorists to press home their demands.
“The fact is, besides using the girls as human shield in their various camps, the terrorists are really disturbed that they could not forcefully rescue some of their commanders. My fear is that if something urgent is not done, they would gradually use all the girls in their hands for suicide missions,” he said.
Apart from the Chibok girls, dozens of women have been whisked away by the Boko Haram and are yet to return. Many have been reportedly ferried across the Nigerian borders, while many others have been fully indoctrinated and are doing the biddings of the insurgents, including serving as couriers for movement of arms and ammunitions, as well as doing domestic chores like cooking and washing in various camps and enclaves.
A security source told our correspondent that most of the girls used recently for the suicide mission were not aware that they would die.
“I can assure you that most of the kidnapped girls were not aware of what has been happening…they have no access to radio, TV or cell phones. Those sent on suicide missions were not told that they would be deployed for such acts and did not have access to the remote control being used to detonate the explosives,” he said.
Security sources hinted that it is these girls and dozens of others, who are marked for the purpose of suicide bombings in many places.
The source revealed that: “You may not know that attempts to use some of these girls for suicide missions in places like Maiduguri, Damaturu, Potiskum, Bauchi, Kaduna, Katsina, Jos and other places were averted. The terrorists could not carry out the nefarious act because of many factors, including security measures put in place during the Sallah season.”
According to him, “What happened in Kano could be described as isolated incidences,” he said.
In Maiduguri, for instance, two days after the Muslim fasting ended, the Youth Vigilantes, also known as Civilian JTF, alerted that some 40 suspected Boko Haram members, including women, had been sneaked into the state capital for the purpose of killing and destroying places with explosives.
“Yes, the insurgents had made attempts to wreak havoc, but God did not allow them to execute the evil intention,” Muhammed Gava, a senior official of the vigilantes, said.
Part of the initiative of security forces in Maiduguri was the banning of vehicular movements throughout the Sallah period, a development that forced residents to trek.
Even after the Sallah festivities, the Borno State police command issued a statement advising residents to be wary of unsuspecting women that cover their bodies with hijab (cloth worn by ladies).
A statement signed by the Command’s spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, a DSP said, “The command…cautions residents to be wary of strange females wearing hijabs and moving around crowded places as some of them may be hiding explosives in their undergarments with the intention of causing harm to unsuspecting residents. Residents who sight such persons should immediately alert the relevant security operatives for proper action,” the statement said.
For now, even innocent Muslim women who are used to wearing the Hijab before going out of their houses are gradually setting them aside for other light veils, a development which some clerics believe is a serious setback for Islam.
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