Culpability of Female Suicide Bombers: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and Afghanistan Laws.
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Date
2022
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Published by Federal Ministry of Justice Abuja.
Abstract
Boko Haram gained international notoriety as a terrorist group in 2014 with the
abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, North-Eastern Nigeria. This group has
perfected a system of using girls as suicide bombers and war mules. Considering the
devastating effectiveness of Boko Haram strategy of feminisation of terror, there is wide
negative perception about the complicity of these girls in terrorism, thus raising fundamental
questions about the status of these girls. Using the strain theory of terrorism as the framework
of analysis, the paper undertakes a comparative study of the laws and strategies on the two
global co-travellers in the terror craft- of Boko Haram and the Taliban, examining how very
restrictive local socio-economic conditions influence the choices of female suicide bombers in
Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan and operational response of the security services to the
roles of these girls in terrorism. It also evaluates the adequacy or otherwise of the Nigeria’s
counter-terrorism strategy as it relates to gender-sensitive handling of potential suicide
bombers. It further examines the legal culpability of these girls in light of Nigeria’s criminal
law regime and international and regional human rights frameworks. The findings reveal the
restrictive and discriminatory socio-cultural strains which drives the choices of female suicide
bombers in Nigeria and Afghanistan. The paper concludes by recommending among others
that Nigerian government should endeavour to promote social regeneration in the North and
break the vicious cycle of poverty, lack of education, inequalities and industrial stagnation that
blight the region.
Keywords: Book Haram, Taliban, Suicide bombing, Terrorism and Girls
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Book Haram, Taliban, Suicide bombing, Terrorism and Girls