Source: Leadership
Nigerian troops during the week arrested three suspected female terrorists who have been secretly recruiting women into the female wing of the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

This is coming on the heels of a comment by President Goodluck Jonathan that his administration was caught unawares by the activities of Boko Haram.

The three suspects, Hafsat Usman Bako, Zainab Idris and Aisha Abubakar were intercepted while travelling to Madagali from where they were to transit to the forest to reunite with their cohorts.

LEADERSHIP WEEKEND recalls that there was a failed suicide bombing attempt on a military facility by a female terrorist who blew herself up in Gombe recently.

According to a statement issued by the defence headquarters and signed by Colonel Onyema Nwachuckwu, on behalf of its director of information, Major General Chris Olukolade, "investigations revealed that the suspects, led by Hafsat Bako, have the mission to recruit members into the female wing as well as conduct espionage for the group.

"Hafsat's link with the terrorists group had earlier been a subject of investigation in 2012, when security agents on a man-hunt for one Usman Bako, her husband who was identified as a terrorist, stormed their residence in Jimeta. This resulted in the discovery of an AK 47 rifle and 2 loaded magazines. Though Usman Bako later died in an encounter with troops in Sokoto where he had relocated to continue his terrorist activities, Hafsat continued with the terror group specialising in surreptitious recruitment of members into their fold."

According to the military, "The arrested trio suspects were luring ladies, especially widows and young girls by enticing them with male suitors who are mainly members of their terror group for marriage. Before their arrest, they were on a mission to take additional briefing from the leadership of the terror group."

The suspects were said to have been operating together as members of the intelligence team of the group and "their arrest has yielded information still being verified by security agencies."

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan confessed that his government did not envisage this level of insecurity bedevilling the country, saying that the activities of the Boko Haram caught the government unawares.

The president, who spoke during the graduation ceremony of Senior Course 36 at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State yesterday, said the greatest danger to the nation's collective security lies in the issue of ethnicity and religious intolerance, which if not checked will become a threat to Nigeria's corporate existence.

He assured however that his administration will continue to equip the armed forces to ensure that, the activities of the insurgents are brought to a permanent end.

Represented by the vice president, Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo, President Jonathan said, "Nigeria is faced with contemporary security challenges that were not envisaged some decades ago, as exemplified by the various terrorist attacks currently being experienced in some parts of our country."

He urged the 147 graduating students officers, who are army majors and their equivalents in other services that, "as members of the armed forces, you have a crucial role to play in ensuring that the lives and property of the citizenry are protected from all forms of internal and external threats.

"We must remember that, the greatest danger to our collective security as a people and a nation lies in the issue of ethnicity and religious intolerance. These twin evils, if not checked are capable of threatening our corporate existence as one sovereign and indivisible nation. You must therefore discourage such sentiments and encourage our men to view themselves as comrades in the pursuit of a common destiny.

"Furthermore, you must continue to anticipate and reflect on the noble idea of the membership of the armed forces; you would be judged by your roles and actions of your men. Therefore, the military must remain apolitical and neutral in performing her constitutional roles", he stressed.

Earlier in his welcome address, the commandant AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal John Chris Ifemeje said, the 147 graduants, among whom were 12 allied officers from 11 sister African countries, underwent 48 weeks intensive training in the college.

Bomb Blast kills 5 In Konduga

Meanwhile, a bomb planted in a pickup van loaded with firewood yesterday exploded and killed five persons, injuring several others at a checkpoint manned by members of the Civilian JTF and police officials in Konduga town, eyewitnesses and security operatives said.

The blast came hours after Boko Haram terrorists suffered heavy casualty in two different military offensive that took place on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the pickup van had approached the checkpoint at about noon and as the local security operatives tried to frisk the car before allowing it to pass, the driver who was on a suicide mission detonated the explosives that killed five persons among whom was a plain clothe police officer from the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

• Nigeria