Military: Boko Haram Using Child Soldiers, Women as Human Shields

Military: Boko Haram Using Child Soldiers, Women as Human Shields

Nigerian military

• UN, US, others condemn Yobe school bombing
•Soldiers flee as sect overruns Maiha in Adamawa
Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Daji Sani in Yola with agency report

The Nigerian military has expressed concern over the use of women as human shields as well as children as child soldiers by Boko Haram militants in their quest to weaken military operations.

A top security source in the North-east disclosed that the terrorists recruit, rape and kill some of the young captives who are reluctant to join them in their dastardly acts.

In most cases, children and teenagers are forced to be in the frontline in the battle against Nigerian troops through ambushes and suicide bombing.

There are established cases of women and children getting involved in terrorists’ acts like the recent bombing in schools, said the source.
“On several occasions, the Nigerian military has captured small children who were forced to take up arms against the state with some of them behaving abnormally due to indoctrination and inducement through the use of hard drugs.

“We are being cautious in abiding by the rules of engagement even when we are aware that the militants recruit children for spying on us and pushing them to engage in hostilities against innocent citizens and the troops.

“Most of the children, especially teenagers were recruited through abduction, kidnapping and enticement with money after which they undergo brainwashing and combat training. Those that are unwilling to cooperate are punished or summarily executed,” the security source revealed.

Other reliable sources suggested that insurgents have relied on the knowledge that Nigerian troops have a responsibility to observe strict rules of engagement and also avoid a situation whereby patriotic citizens caught in the middle of conflict will lose their lives.

“We have lost our men in the battlefield while we tried to avoid shooting children and teenagers who are forced to confront us. How do you expect us to arrest a child with a gun? Do we accord such an armed underage combatant with the status of a child deserving of protection under the rules of engagement?

“It may become inevitable that some collateral damages may be recorded if we get the order especially because Boko Haram elements are using civilians as human shields to continue to gain undue advantage in the current battle in the North-east.

“However, as much as troops are determined to avoid collateral damage, it has become inevitable to be decisive with armed underage combatants and female suicide bombers with the situation degenerating by the day.

“The military will no longer tolerate a situation where insurgents use human shields to gain undue advantage, especially now that majority of Nigerians have demanded that a full scale war be declared by government in response to Boko Haram,” the source declared.

International Community Condemns School Bombing

But as the military contends with the spectre of women and child soldiers in its war against the insurgents, more condemnations poured in yesterday over the suicide bombing of a government secondary school in Potiskum, Yobe State, resulting in the death of scores of students.
A statement issued by the US Embassy in Abuja condemned the incessant attacks on defenceless civilians in the North-east this past week.

The statement cited recent attacks on Potiskum in Yobe, Nafada in Gombe, Malam Fatori in Borno and Azare in Bauchi State.
The embassy said: “While the final numbers are not known, scores of persons have been killed or injured in these attacks.
“The US offers its sincere sympathy to the injured and to the families of the murdered.

“We urge the government of Nigeria to investigate these and other attacks to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
It reiterated US’ commitment to support the people of northern Nigeria in their struggle to stop the abhorrent actions of Boko Haram and associated terrorist groups.

In New York, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, also condemned the bomb attack on Potiskum.
Ban extended his sincere condolences to the families of the bereaved and to the government and people of Nigeria.
A statement issued by the body said: “The UN secretary-general is outraged by the frequency and brutality of attacks against educational institutions in the north of the country.

“The UN scribe demands an immediate cessation to these abominable crimes.”
Ban stressed the need to bring the perpetrators to justice through a process respectful of Nigeria’s human rights obligations. He also appealed for adequate security measures for civilians.

“The UN secretary-general reiterates his firm conviction that no objective justifies wanton violence against civilians,” the statement added.
Also, a statement by UNICEF warned that repeated and relentless attacks on children and schools were attacks on the future of Nigeria.
It expressed concern that Nigeria already had the largest number of children out of school in the world and the attacks on schools would exacerbate the situation.

“We call on those with the responsibility and power to bring the perpetrators of this cruel act to justice, and to uphold their responsibilities to protect children,” UNICEF said in the statement.

Yobe Closes All Schools

Owing to the latest attack on the Potiskum school, the Yobe State Government said yesterday that it had closed down all public and private schools in the state. On Monday, the state government only ordered the closure of schools in Potiskum.
The attack had claimed 48 lives and injured 79 others.

The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Muhammad Lamin, said in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu yesterday that the closure was with immediate effect.

Lamin said government decided to close the schools to enable it adopt more security measures to guarantee the safety of students, teachers and the school environment across the state.

Boko Haram Overruns Maiha

However, despite the global condemnation and couter-terrorism efforts by the military, the marauding sect continued its attacks on communities in the North-east, the latest being the capture of Maiha town, the headquarters of Maiha Local Government Area in Adamawa State, on Monday night.

According to a security source, the insurgents were spotted hovering around the area at about 5 pm on Monday, adding that nobody anticipated any attack, as he alleged that the insurgents had been to Maiha to preach and persuade the people to support their struggle.
He said the insurgents used the Potiskum bombing that led to the death of at least 47 students to divert attention.
“When the authorities' attention was diverted, the insurgents struck in Mahia at night, leading to the killing of some residents who had remained in the community despite the Mubi attack,” the security source said.

According to him, even before Mahia was overrun by the Boko Haram insurgents, it had been rendered a ghost town, as commercial and social activities had been paralysed as a result of the mass exodus of people from the town. Maiha is 20 kilometres from Mubi which was captured by the sect two weeks ago.

A fleeing resident of Mahia, who spoke to THISDAY on the phone, said nobody anticipated that the insurgents would attack the town, adding that the insurgents had previously asked them not to run away, promising to provide them with security and a better life instead.
He said the killings and destruction orchestrated by the insurgents in Mahia violated the promise they made to the people.
“Why will you kill somebody you want to govern; their act violates the preaching that they would give the people a better government,” he said.

Another fleeing resident, who identified himself as Usman, said soldiers detailed to the area fled on seeing the large numbers of insurgents who stormed the town, adding that he assisted some of them out of Maiha.
“The fleeing soldiers asked us to help them to escape from the area to safer places", Usman said

He said after the attack, many of the insurgents returned to Mubi, while a few were left behind.
However, travellers who passed through Maiha yesterday said they did not encounter the insurgents.