The women recruit other women into Boko Haram.

The Defence Headquarters has announced the arrest of three suspected female terrorists who have been secretly recruiting ladies into the female wing of the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

According to a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Director of Defence Information, Onyema Nwachukwu, the arrest followed a failed suicide bombing attempt on a military facility by a female terrorist in Gombe recently.

It said the suspects, Hafsat Bako, Zainab Idris and Aisha Abubakar, were intercepted while travelling to Madagali in Adamawa from where they were would move to the forest to reunite with their cohorts.

“Investigations revealed that the suspects, led by Hafsat, have the mission to recruit members into the female wing of the terrorist group as well as conduct espionage for the group. Hafsat’s link with the terrorists group had been a subject of investigation since 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,” Mr. Nwachukwu disclosed.

He said that the man-hunt resulted in the discovery of an AK- 47 rifle and two loaded magazines

Mr. Nwachukwu, a Colonel, also stated that Mr. Bako later died in an encounter with troops in Sokoto, where the terrorist had relocated to continue his activities. He said that Hafsat continued with the terror group, specialising in surreptitious recruitment of members into their fold.

“The three female 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 trio 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,” the Director of Defence Information said.

(NAN)