In a rather alarming and what has been described as a “dangerous” trend, female suicide bombers in Nigeria are now carrying babies to avoid detection in their attacks, authorities have warned.
On 13 January, two women detonated their devices in the town of Madagali, killing themselves, two babies, and four others.
They had passed a vigilante checkpoint, mistaken for civilians because they were carrying infants.
Boko Haram is widely suspected of having carried out the attack.
Madagali is located in Adamawa State which was recaptured from Boko Haram in 2015.
Two were stopped at a security checkpoint, and detonated their devices, officials said.
The two women carrying infants, however, were not stopped, and exploded their own devices past the security point.
Boko Haram is notorious for using women, including young girls, as suicide bombers.
Progress fight against the insurgent group has been made by the Nigerian government including counter-offensive attacks as well as recapturing much of their former territory. The group have also ramped up their suicide bombings in response.
In early December, two female suicide attackers killed at least 45 people in the same town, after they detonated their devices in a busy market.
A similar attack killed 25 people a year earlier.
