Against spreading public opinion that the abducted Chibok girls may have been sweet-talked by their captors to carry out the spate of suicide bombings in recent times which has seen more young girls being used as bombers, the Federal Government, Wednesday, took steps to douse anxiety over the possibility that Boko Haram insurgents are using the abducted Chibok girls as female suicide bombers.
Female bombers have carried out series of attacks on Kano city in the last five days, fuelling fears that those involved could be some of the girls being held by the terrorists.
Also, former education minister, and co-coordinator of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, Professor Oby Ezekwesili, has expressed fears that the abducted Chibok girls may be indoctrinated or coerced into being used as suicide bombers.
A screen shot taken on May 12, 2014, from a video of Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram obtained by AFP shows girls, wearing the full-length hijab and praying in an undisclosed rural location. Boko Haram released a new video on claiming to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls, alleging they had converted to Islam and would not be released until all militant prisoners were freed. A total of 276 girls were abducted on April 14 from the northeastern town of Chibok, in Borno state, which has a sizeable Christian community. Some 223 are still missing.
She said on her twitter page recently: “It feels like eternity since April 14 when our girls lost their freedom. How can we move on like that? This new trend and pattern of female suicide bombers surely should particularly worry us. Female suicide bombers are again and again becoming the trend and our Chibok girls are still in the enemy’s den.
“It worries me stiff. Are we thinking? Our Chibok girls really need to be rescued from the clutches of evil. We must all not stop praying and demanding that the Federal Government acts for results. We have no apology for being agitated. We have nothing to defend for crying out for their rescue.”
However, Co-ordinator of National Information Centre, Mike Omeri, during a routine security briefing, alongside representatives of security forces in Abuja, vehemently denied the insinuation.
“The use of Chibok girls by Boko Haram is actually not true,” Omeri sharply responded to a question asked by a journalist at the briefing.
Also, Omeri confirmed the arrest of a minor female suicide bomber in Katsina State by security forces.
He said three Boko Haram suspects were arrested,Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at about 10p.m. along Zaria Road, Tudun Wada area of Funtua metropolis.
The suspects, according to him, include a male, Iliya Dahiru, and two females, Zainab Musa, 18, and Hadiza Musa, 10.
“The three suspects were arrested in a Honda CRV car. When they were directed to disembark for security checks, 10 year-old Hadiza was discovered to have been strapped with an explosive belt and immediately, Iliya and Zainab attempted to escape with the car, but were later blocked by other concerned Nigerians, and subsequently arrested. The Police successfully unstrapped the explosives.
“It is on this note that we appeal to parents to consciously observe and watch their children’s activities to prevent them from participating in unwholesome activities, particularly acts of terrorism,” he said.
