Thursday, December 25, 2014

My parents took me to Boko Haram camp —Arrested 13-yr-old female suicide bomber

KANO State Police Commissioner, Mr Adenrele Shinaba, has confirmed the arrest of a 13-year-old female suicide bomber, Zarau (surname withheld), from Bauchi State, who was among three female suicide bombers that caused the death of about 10 people at the popular ancient market, Kwanti Kwari.

This is just as the state police boss refuted a purported rumour doing the round that non-indigenes (Igbo) allegedly masterminded the dastardly act.
Zarau, who was assigned to wreak havoc at the popular Kwanti-Kwari market, confessed that she was commissioned by her father to carry out Boko Haram activities.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, in Kano, Shinaba said the arrest of the 13-year-old suicide bomber and her accomplices was as a result of the synergy that existed between the police, the DSS, Army, Airforce, Customs, Immigration, Prisons and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which prompted the achievement.
He, however, expressed dismay over the insinuation that the female suicide bombers were linked to be from Igbo extraction, saying such rumour was unfounded.
He pointed out that it was not the non-indigenes that were responsible for the Kano bombing.
His words: “We will like to disabuse the minds of the public that it is not an inter tribal war. It is a terrorism act. Like we have had in the past, it has nothing to do with any government, we will never allow such people to succeed.’’
According to him, “the people that are threatening to attack non Indigenes in Sabon-Gari, we will want them to realise that we all have a common enemy, which is the terrorist, so we cannot start fighting ourselves.
“The aim of the terrorist is just to cause confusion. They choose soft target to create panic and fear among the people.
“We want warn those people peddling such dangerous rumour to desist. Our duty, as security agents, is to protect the people living in Sabon Gari and other areas of the state. I advise people not to take laws into their hands.”
Shinaba noted that the 13-year-old suicide bomber was arrested in a hospital where she was being treated after a commercial tricycle operator alerted security agents that a female suicide bomber dropped an unknown exhibit in his tricycle. The security agents, who immediately swooped into action, subsequently arrested her.
However, Zarau, while giving an account of how she joined Boko Haram, said, ‘‘my parents took me to the Boko Haram training camp in Bauchi, where one of the trainers asked me if I wanted to go to paradise, in my reply to him, I gladly told him that I will like to enter paradise.
He told me I have an assignment to carry out in Kano, then, after the necessary training, he told me that I and two other female bombers will travel to Kano to execute the assignment, so after the execution of the assignment, she will now be entitled to make paradise.
‘‘But I was told that I would have to die before entering into paradise. The man further stated that I will have to carry bomb and die, but I said I cannot do it, he then declared that it is either I accept to do the work or they dug the ground and bury me alive.
‘‘Afraid to be buried alive, because I saw many that were being buried alive, I resolved to abide by the order out of duress.
“When we got to Kano, they took us straight to Kantin Kwari Market. When it was time for the execution, we were told to to divide ourselves and take position. The other two female suicide bombers detonated their concealed bombs in their bodies, as we were all wearing hijab, while on my part, I vehemently refused to ignite mine, as a result of my closeness to the two female bombers, I was injured on my left leg by the explosion.
“Due to the injury I sustained, I shouted for help, the commercial tricycle operator, who sympathised with me, took me to Dawanau, where we resided with my parents before. However, before I dropped from the tricycle, I successfully removed the concealed bomb in my body and left it on the seat of the tricycle.
“When the tricycle operator saw the exhibit on the seat, he immediately dashed into the house where I was taking treatment and asked me whether I am the owner of the exhibit and I replied him, yes, it is mine. 
At that time, I was about to be taken to the hospital, so before the tricycle operator alerted the security agents, I was already in the hospital, where I was being treated for the injury I sustained from the explosion. That was how I was arrested by security agents at the hospital.
According to her, “my parents commissioned me into Boko Haram activities, because I did not know where they were taking me to. They handed me over to one of my trainers.’’
Tribune

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