Boko Haram Adopt New Methods, Now Package IEDs In School Bags For Suicide Bombers

THE IEDs PACKAGED IN A SCHOOL BAG
THE IEDs PACKAGED IN A SCHOOL BAG

Insurgents have now devised a new means of hiding their explosive devices to unleash terror on hapless citizens during the sallah cerebration, investigations have revealed.

The insurgents, in order to avoid suspicion especially with the public now wary of abandoned polythene bags or sacks, now package their Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in school bags for suicide bombers.

This was the observation of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Kano State after a joint operation with operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) led to the discovery and subsequent raid of a bomb making factory in Guduwawa village in Gezawa Local Government Area of the state last Tuesday.

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The new approach, the JTF said, was copied from Boston in the United States where two brothers, reportedly dropped their back packs containing explosives in the midst of a crowd at a marathon race, killing three and injuring many last April.

An operative of the JTF told newsmen that the IEDs can be packaged in any type of school bag, adding that the IEDs control switch is stitched to the handle of the bag and only needs to be switched on for the explosive to be triggered.

“They will just carry it on their back and walk into any place or their target without people knowing or suspecting as they will be mistaken for students. This is a dangerous trend,” he said.

In a joint press conference, the Commander of the 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Kano, Brigadier General Iliaysu I. Abbah and the state’s Director of DSS, Mr. Bassey Eteng said the packaging of IEDs in school bags was the latest trend to avoid quick detection by the terrorist group.

Explaining further, Mr. Eteng said the plan of the terrorist group was to be using young persons of school-age as suicide bombers during the forthcoming Sallah and that the IEDs recovered from the factory in Guduwawa was capable of killing 1,000 persons.

“People should beware of the latest IEDs the terrorists are producing; it is packaged in a school bag for suicide bomber. They can carry it into the mosque, church and even schools. This is what happened in Boston; this trend is kind of copy-cat thing. People should be on look out,” he explained.

Shedding more light on the discovery, General Abbah said, “This is the first time we are recovering something like this. They primed the IEDs in bag unlike the previous ones”.

He also disclosed that the security operatives recovered materials the terrorists are using for the manufacturing of the school bag IEDs.
He listed the materials as three primed cylinders of IEDS; one primed explosive suicide back pack, 18 empty IED cylinders, 24 detonators, small bags of fertilizer, IED timers, cortex wires and three remote controls.

-Weekly Trust

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