The Nigerian military says it has detained an 11-year-old boy who is currently describing to interrogators how Boko Haram trained him to be a suicide bomber and attack the biggest refugee camp in war-torn northeast Nigeria, the AP’s Michelle Faul reports.
The boy is suspect No. 82 on a poster showing photographs of 100 wanted Boko Haram militants, according to army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman.
“The child said he was sneaked into the camp as a displaced child to get familiarized with the people and wait for the day he would be prompted to carry (out) his own suicide attack,” Usman said in a statement. He also added that the boy was arrested by troops guarding Dalori refugee camp in Maiduguri- the birthplace of Nigeria’s homegrown Islamic extremist group.
He told interrogators that three other children who trained with him already have blown themselves up in suicide attacks.
Many bombers are young women and children — one girl bomber reportedly looked as young as 7. A military bomb expert has told the AP that some suicide bombs have been detonated remotely. That has led to speculation that Boko Haram is turning kidnap victims into unwilling weapons.
Usman identified the 11-year-old boy as a resident of Bama, a town 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Maiduguri. Boko Haram seized Bama in September 2014 and a year ago published a video showing gunmen mowing down civilians lying face down in the town, executing them as “infidels.” Nigeria’s air force and army reported destroying several Boko Haram camps around Bama in August, and rescuing 178 people, including 101 children, held captive by the extremists.
One video published by Boko Haram shows children training to shoot with assault rifles.
Usman said the 11-year-old has already identified a Boko Haram member among adults in Dalori refugee camp, who has been arrested. Usman said this highlights the need for proper screening of refugees. Dalori is the biggest refugee camp in the northeast, holding some 30,000 people.