Teenage suicide bombers victims, not terrorists -NGO

An international non-governmental organization (NGO), otherwise known as Search For Common Ground (SFCG), has opined that most teenage suicide bombers in north-east Nigeria and other parts of the country are victims of terror and not terrorists.

This was communicated to select Journalists during a 5-day workshop tagged “Conflict and Trauma Sensitive Journalism”, aimed at reshaping reportage to douse tension rather than escalate it.

In a lecture titled ‘Covering Trauma’, a Senior Programme Coordinator and Trainer with the NGO, Ms Ema Miroslava Billings, stated that teenage suicide bombers were victims who are prey in the hands of terrorists.

She held the view that terrorists take advantage of vulnerable children, especially the Almajiris, who have been left to wander the streets without food and shelter.

Her words, “these children on the streets need love and if we continue to ignore them, they fall prey to terrorists who will cajole them by strapping bomb on them with ridiculous amount of N200, like in the case of the recent multiple bomb blast in Maiduguri, with one of the female suicide bomber who could not detonate her bomb confessing that N200 was given to her to carry out the heinous act,” she said.

Ms Billings said that although we might not have all the money to give to these unfortunate children when we meet them on the streets, but we can use kind words like ‘God bless you’, to show them some love.

However, the 5-days workshop held in Maiduguri the Borno state capital, exposed journalists on how to report conflict sensitive issues, with focus on resolving problems before it lead to crisis; laying emphasis on how to handle traumatized victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the post insurgency process, admonishing reporters to play key role in peace building and being conscious not to violate people’s dignity.

Earlier in his remark, the Deputy Country Director SFCG, Mr. Maxwell Saungweme, said that journalists are instrumental in facilitating conflict transformation in positive ways, adding that Search For Common Ground will continue to work with newsmen with the aim to consolidate a sustainable peace architecture in Nigeria.

“We will continue to work with the media, including journalists in our programming as we seek to consolidate a sustainable peace architecture in Nigeria.”