On Tuesday, February 9, a young teenage girl abandoned her mission to bomb the Dikwa refugee camp in northeast Nigeria, once out of sight from her captors.
The teen was sent to the camp with two others on behalf of the Boko Haram terrorist group. Although one of the three was able to rip off her vest and flee, the other two female bombers detonated themselves, killing at least 58 people.
It was reported by the Guardian that 78 other people were treated for wounds following the two bombings.
Dikwa is 55 miles northeast of Maiduguri, which is the biggest city in the region, and also the birthplace of Boko Haram.
Modu Awami, a self-defense fighter who helped question the girl, said that "she said she was scared because she knew she would kill people, but she was also frightened of going against the instructions of the men who brought her to the camp."
Algoni Lawan, a spokesman for the local government, told the Associated Press that the teenage girl "was worried if she went ahead and carried out the attack that she might kill her own father, who she knew was in the camp." Lawan says that the girl tried to persuade her companions to change their minds, but could not convince them.
The girl led soldiers to her unexploded vest, validating her story, and has given officials information about other planned bombings to help raise security within the camp.
This camp is home to 50,000 people who have been displaced from their homes by Boko Haram.
According to Amnesty International, Boko Haram has attacked numerous schools in Nigeria and kidnapped over 2,000 children and women, training them to strap bombs to their bodies and blow themselves up in highly populated areas. Lawan states that the young girl was among thousands who have been held captive for months by the extremist group.
On Thursday, the United States strongly condemned the bombings. The U.S remains committed to assisting those afflicted by the conflict and supports efforts to provide greater protection for civilians and the regional fight against terrorism, according the State Department spokesman Mark Toner.
Such attacks are making it difficult for the government to persuade people to return to their homes. Boko Haram has also razed homes and businesses and stolen livestock and seed grain that is needed for farmers to start their lives again.
