Police explains rise in female suicide bombings in Nigeria

The Nigeria Police Force spokesperson Frank Mba has given an insight into the recent rise of female suicide bombers in Nigeria.

Addressing newsmen at the National Information Center yesterday, Mr Mba said Boko Haram men now use women because they raise fewer suspicions.

"If you have been following the trends of terrorism worldwide, you will understand that use of female suicide bombers is actually not totally new. It is actually a new trend in our own part of the world. The reasons why established international terrorist organizations go for female suicide bombers is clear. The major reason is that women raise fewer suspicions, particularly with security layers, and so they take advantage of the fact that women raise fewer suspicion to try to indoctrinate and recruit female suicide bombers. The suspicion even becomes much lesser if the woman in question is a minor and that explains why. In addition to that is the fact that by rules of engagement that we are cultured to, male security operatives are not allowed to frisk or search females but we are equally developing counter terrorism strategies to deal with that.” he said

He disclosed that more female police officers will now be stationed on roads and other places where stop-and-search exercises are being carried out.

"Nigerians should prepare to see more female police officers, more female bomb disposal experts, more female DSS operatives, more female soldiers actually in combat operations and carrying out stop-and-search,” he said