Following the twin bomb attack on the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday, another suicide bombing incident was averted in a village behind the University.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Police Force, Borno State Command, Victor Isuku, made this known in a statement made available to journalists on Monday.

He said: “At about 08:000hrs, a third suicide bomber, female, of about 12 years with IED strapped to her body, was intercepted at Bara Karaya village behind University of Maiduguri, in Muna Garage general area.

“The suicide bomber was sighted by villagers who promptly alerted the military.

“She was gunned down, while the EOD personnel of the command secured and rendered safe her unexploded IED vest.”

The rate of suicide bomb attacks in the North East has risen since the Nigerian military announced it has captured the Sambisa Forest stronghold of the terrorist group.

Also worrying is the continuous deployment of children as suicide bombers by the terrorist group.

There are fears that the insurgents may be forcefully converting children who they had kidnapped in many of their attacks across the North East into suicide bombers.