Has the Emergence of Female Suicide Bombers in Nigeria Depicted the Exploitation of Feminine Vulnerability? A Critical Appraisal of Boko Haram's Female Suicide Bombers in Nigeria

Abstract

The emergence of female suicide bombers in Nigeria has resulted in massive human and material casualties. The issue has raised concerns about gender based violence perpetrated at the behest of Boko Haram. While some scholars argue that terrorism is not exclusively a masculine violence, some research indicate that terrorism, could to a large extent, be dominated by men given some cultural and religious considerations. However, empirical evidence abound attesting that some women in Nigeria have assumed active roles within Boko Haram terrorist cells, and use their bodies as a means of transport and deployment of bombs. The acts of these women are deconstructing the cultural conception of femininity. It is against the backdrop of the conservative contextualisation of terrorism and masculinity, that this article, set in the cultural, social, economic, political and religious landscape of Nigeria examines feminine involvement in Boko Haram terrorism by interrogating some unresolved analytical questions as well as contemporary developments in the study of female terrorist bombers. The article examines if women within the Boko-Haram terrorist hotspots are mere victims in the hands of exploitative men asserting their hegemonic masculinity. It argues further that the emergence of female suicide bombers within the Boko Haram cells is to a large extent, a case of the exploitation of the feminine vulnerability and may not be conducts depicting willingness of certain Nigerian women to actively commit suicide bombing in the aid of Boko Haram terrorism.