— Military captures suicide bomber in Gombe
By Bashir Mohammed, Kano, and Jibrin Baba Ndace, Abuja
One of the female suicide bombers who bombed the Kantin Kwari market in Kano recently, has confessed to her involvement in the dreaded act.
The girl, 13-year-old Zahra’u Babangida, said she was driven into the Boko Haram enclave by her parents, and that she was assured by the sect’s kingpins that she would die a martyr upon the completion of the suicide mission.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after she was paraded by the Police in Kano, Zahra’u said she was brought into Kano by some members of the sect from Bauchi state, with the aim of execution of the dastardly mission.
According to her, she was not willing to detonate the explosives strapped to her waist in spite of the persistent entreaty by her co-suicide bombers, adding that, she was an indigene of Yobe and had once lived in Dawanau town, in Dawakin Tofa local government area of Kano state.
The teenager said: “As we were in the market, my colleagues said we should take a strategic position in the densely populated areas of the market to quickly swing into action. Upon realising the folly of such a mission, I craftily sneaked out of the market after sustaining injury from the blast that was carried out by the two other female suicide bombers.
“I then boarded a tricycle to Dawanau town where I once lived with my parents with the aim of having my wounded leg treated. Later, the situation took a different dimension when I eventually found myself in the hands of soldiers.”
Shedding more light after parading the would-be suicide bomber, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aderenle T. Shinaba, said the feat was achieved courtesy of the collaborative effort between the Police and men of the State Security Service (SSS) in the state.
Shinaba, who dismissed speculation in some quarters that the female suicide bomber was Igbo by tribe, stated that the ongoing insurgency in the country was not an inter- tribal warfare, stressing that some agents of terrorism are taking solace in decimating innocent people.
He said: “Rumour mongers are not helping matters. We on our part won’t condone any act of violence and lawlessness. Those who want to create chaos and panic are doing it at their own peril. They will not succeed in their mission.”
He further revealed that every citizen of the country is, by law, free to live where he or she so wishes in as much as one is ready to obey the constituted authorities, stressing that it is the responsibility of law enforcement agents to protect lives and properties.
On the fate of the female suicide bomber, the commissioner said she would be taken to court after extensive investigations, saying the court would be the one to determine what would happen.
On the preparations so far made by the state police command on the eve of the Christmas and new year festivities, Shinaba said adequate security measures have been put in place to forestall any bad occurrence, adding that the police would not take it lightly with anyone willing to breach the peace during the festivities.
Meanwhile, a suicide bomber, who rammed into a military check point in Bajoga, Gombe state, with IED-laden Honda car, was arrested by the military, the Defence Headquarters said yesterday.
In a statement, it said: “His attempt to escape also failed as he was brought down by vigilant soldiers when he tried to flee after hitting a military Amoured Personnel Carrier with his IED-laden Honda car.
“The explosives which failed to detonate have been evacuated and handed to the police.”
The statement issued by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade, also indicated that security forces raided a terrorists’ hideout in Nasarawa local government area of Kano.
Olukolade said: “Also in Kano, security forces have raided the terrorists’ hideout in Nasarawa local government area, leading to the arrest of bomb manufacturers, who are already helping in the investigation into activities of bombers lately. Officers believe that the efforts will yield useful clues.
“Troops deployed in all locations of the counter-terrorism campaign have been directed to sustain the tempo of operations all through the period of seasonal celebrations and ensure that the intention of terrorists to attack civilian target while avoiding troops is duly frustrated.”
