SAN FRANCISCO, December 01, (THEWILL) – There is palpable tension in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, following a shocking revelation that the Boko Haram insurgents have deployed no fewer than 52 female suicide bombers to the nooks and crannies of the troubled town, only waiting for the appropriate time to strike at highly populated areas.
A Civilian JTF member who disclosed this on Monday said the youth vigilante group has embarked on a massive search of vehicles and peoples in the town to stop the prowling female bombers.
He said, “One of the female suicide bombers arrested told them (youth vigilante) that presently in Maiduguri there are 52 female suicide bombers who have been ordered to bomb high density areas.”
THEWILL recalls that the Boko Haram abducted over 200 schoolgirls from a school dormitory in Chibok town, Borno State.
The tension keeps growing by the day and got to a fever point Monday when two of the amazons of death were killed along with six other residents as the female bombers detonated their explosives at the Monday market in the state capital. Only last week, they had rocked the same market, killing over 35 persons.
The insurgents also launched a deadly attack on Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, killing scores, before they were repelled by the security forces.
According to local sources, the first explosion at the Maiduguri Monday market occurred around 11:20am at one of the entrances of the market when a female suicide bomber who refused to be searched by security operatives detonated the explosives strapped on her body.
The explosion that followed, according to eyewitnesses, killed four persons, including the female bomber.
Giving a graphic detail of the explosion, a witness to the incident, said: “She (the female bomber) refused to submit herself to members of the Civilian JTF who were conducting checks at the market and therefore detonated the explosives on her.”
Explaining what actually transpired before the explosion, another eye witness said: “He (the youth vigilante) pushed her aside telling her to leave the entrance if she was not ready to be checked and it was at this time the bomb on her exploded tearing her into pieces and cutting off the arm of the Civilian JTF.”
Security sources said just as that was happening, the second female suicide bomber ran into a shop and was pulled out by the shop owners and in the process the bomb on her exploded, killing her instantly and killing the shop owner as well.
“She ran into a shop with the explosive on her and while the shop owner was dragging her out, a bomb exploded on her,” the security sources added.
The twin explosions caused panic and tension in the town as residents scampered for safety with the security forces and the Civilian JTF concentrating their search on mostly women because of the prowling female bombers.
