Boko Haram militants use babies to carry out suicide bombing missions, officials warn

Islamic militant group Boko Haram are now using infants as a cover to carry out suicide bombing missions, according to Nigerian officials.

On Jan. 13, two female suicide bombers were able to pass through a vigilante checkpoint in the town of Madagali, Adamawa State because they were carrying babies. The two suicide bombers were able to detonate their devices, killing themselves, two babies and four others, BBC reported.

Two other women were stopped at a checkpoint, where they detonated their bombs, according to officials.

Since the town was liberated from Boko Haram in 2015, over 100 people have died in four separate attacks carried out by female suicide bombers. The town's security was boosted after 56 civilians were killed in a deadly bombing last month. People who are entering the town are searched by local vigilantes, and then by the military, according to the Daily Beast.

The search is carried out by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a group of locals helping the military fight Boko Haram.

The jihadist group has tried using infants in suicide bombing missions in the past but without success.

Last November, soldiers shot a female suicide bomber carrying a baby at a checkpoint in Maiduguri. The bomb exploded as a result of the shot, killing the suicide bomber and the baby.

Yusuf Mohammed, an advisor to CJTF, said that the group will be more vigilant in its inspections.

"Now that the CJTF is aware of this trick, it is going to be more vigilant. No one is going overlook any lady because she is pregnant, or because she is carrying a baby," said Mohammed.

On Friday, the Defence Headquarters issued a statement warning Nigerians about the new tactic used by Boko Haram, the Daily Post reported.

"The two recent suicide bomb attacks in Madagali, Adamawa State are instructive in this regard," Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, Acting Director Defence Information, said in the statement.

"The DHQ wishes to seize this opportunity to appeal to members of the public to be patient and cooperate with the military and other security agencies while carrying out thorough security search and checks as the essence is to nip in the bud the murderous intention of the Boko Haram suicide bombers," he added.

He urged the public to help the military and other security agencies by providing them with useful information about Boko Haram.