TheCable

The defence headquarters has announced the arrest of three suspected female terrorists alleged to have been secretly recruiting ladies into the female wing of Boko Haram.

According to the Nigerian Army, the suspects were arrested after a female terrorist blew up herself while trying to suicide-bomb a military facility in Gombe.

The suspects — Hafsat  Bako, Zainab Idris and Aisha Abubakar —  were intercepted while travelling to Madagali in Adamawa from where they were to transit to the forest to reunite with their cohorts.

“Investigations revealed that the suspects, led by Hafsat, have the mission to recruit members into the female wing as well as conduct espionage for the group,” said Col. Onyema Nwachukwu in a statement signed on behalf of the director of defence information, Major-General Chris Olukolade.

“Hafsat’s link with the terrorists group had earlier been a subject of investigation in 2012, when security agents on a manhunt for one Usman Bako, her husband who was identified as a terrorist, stormed their residence in Jimeta.”

The manhunt resulted in the discovery of an AK 47 rifle and two loaded magazines. The statement said Bako later died in an encounter with troops in Sokoto, where he had relocated to continue his terrorist activities.

“Hafsat continued with the terror group, specialising in surreptitious recruitment of members into their fold.

“The arrested three suspects were luring ladies, especially widows and young girls, by enticing them with male suitors who are mainly members of their terror group for marriage. Before their arrest, they were on a mission to take additional briefing from the leadership of the terror group.”

Revealing that their arrest has made information available to security agencies, Onyema disclosed that the suspects were operating as members of the intelligence team of a terrorist group.

Friday’s announcement of the arrest confirms rising fears that women who have been previously been deemed mere “wives and relatives of insurgents” might actually be directly working with the sect.

According to a security source who recently spoke with TheCable, this trend of female involvement in Boko Haram’s operations is complicating the military’s anti-terror efforts.