ICC Note:
As Nigerians eagerly awaited the dawn of 2017 in a Maiduguri market, two female suicide bombers unsuccessfully attempted to create one last devastating 2016 attack. Two girls approached the market but one detonated early, giving the Nigerians gathered enough time to capture the other would-be suicide bomber before she could detonate. The one girl died instantly from the explosion and one person was injured from the shrapnel. Officials estimate that the suicide bomber who died was about 10 years old. The other girl has not been identified. The use of children suicide bombers is an increasing trend in Boko Haram-dominated areas. A UNICEF report recently noted that in Nigeria and surrounding countries (Cameroon, Niger, and Chad) 1 out of every 5 suicide bombers is a child.
1/2/2017 Nigeria (The Independent) – A female suicide bomber believed to be no more than 10 years old has seriously injured another person when she blew herself up in a New Year’s Eve attack in Nigeria.
The attack, which took place in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, is believed to be the work of Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, who are notorious for using female suicide bombers to target civilians.
Witnesses said the young girl was buying noodles from a stall in the Customs area of the city at around 9.30pm on Saturday when she detonated her explosives.
“The girl walked towards the crowd but she blew up before she could reach her target,” Grema Usman, who lives in the area, told the AFP agency.
“(Judging) from her corpse the girl was around ten years old,” Mr. Usman said.
The girl reportedly died instantly, while another person was hit by shrapnel.
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