In the last one year, Nigeria has witnessed increasing feminisation of terror by Boko Haram in two paradoxical ways - involving young girls as both the victims and vanguards of terror. As victims of terror, in the form of abductees, their fate has received the greatest international condemnation. The group has abducted at least 500 women and girls in north-eastern Nigeria since 2009. However, the abduction of 276 teenage girls from Chibok in April 2014 by the group-has been the largest single incident so far, triggering an international campaign to #Bringbackourgirls.
When did Boko Haram start using suicide bombers?
Boko Haram carried out its first suicide bombing fairly recently, in 2011. It was a significant development. Nigeria does not have a history of suicide bombing and suicide is not culturally accepted.
When did the group first use female suicide bombers?
The first female suicide bombing was reported in June last year, when a middle-aged woman blew herself up at army barracks in Gombe, northeast Nigeria. This was the first of a wave of suicide attacks by women and girls in Nigeria. There were six such attacks in six weeks.
What do we know about the identity of the female bombers?
We often have little or conflicting information. It’s a complex situation, compounded by a lack of access to the people and the area, and by unreliable local reports. Further, a lot of attacks are not claimed by any group. Boko Haram is a loose movement, made up of different factions.
Why and how are women are being used
The motive for the use of female suicide bombers by Boko Haram is not far-fetched. First, security agents and indeed Nigerians have become well accustomed to the use of male suicide bombers. Thus, strange men or boys attract much suspicion or attention from people. In contrast, women and girls do not attract such suspicion and can easily gain access to places without raising attention. In addition, the use of hijab, as expected of a Muslim woman, becomes a good means of hiding and conveying explosives. The females who carried out the suicide bombings in the north reportedly wore hijabs. This becomes more challenging as Islamic religion forbids a man to frisk a woman. In addition, most security or control posts in the north-east are manned by male security, military or ‘civilian JTF’ operatives. More so, news of female suicide bombers is often sensational and attracts coverage better than their male counterparts as a result of the element of surprise and shock it provides. Each successful attack will therefore project the group as one that should be feared.
Women fighters: An organised campaign?
This suggests alternative motives for the group’s use of female suicide bombers: namely, diversion and propaganda. The first is likely linked to the push to start a “caliphate.” Attacks by women were all outside of Boko Haram’s normal regions of operations and had the potential to distract both attention and military resources away from the northeast. Propaganda is another key motivation for Boko Haram to pursue female suicide attacks. Women suicide attackers attract disproportionate media coverage in any terrorist campaign. In the immediate aftermath of the Chibok abductions, it was feared that Boko Haram had taken the girls to use as fighters. These fears increased in the wake of the Kano attacks.
Does Boko Haram have a female wing?
The Nigerian military first reported last July that Boko Haram has a female wing. The military had just arrested three women who it said were recruiting women to the group to be spies or marry fighters. In August, authorities detained a man who they said was training a group of female suicide bombers. But there has been little news about these cases since. But there are no signs of female fighters on the battlefield, for example, among the casualties. But women may play other roles, as they are often more able to evade authorities. In 2013, there were reports of women being arrested for smuggling weapons for Boko Haram. More recently there were arrests of male smugglers dressed as women.