Boko Haram using babies to avoid detection in Nigeria suicide bombings

Female suicide bombers in Nigeria are reportedly using babies to avoid detection before blowing themselves up.

Officials warned of the "dangerous" trend after female attackers used the tactic in a blast which took place in Madagali on 13 January 2017.

Two women, who were each carrying a baby, walked through a checkpoint and had been mistaken as civilians, according to the BBC.

Moments after, the two women detonated their devices, killing themselves, the two babies and four others.

The terror group Boko Haram is widely suspected of carrying out the attack, though no responsibility has been claimed.

Boko Haram is known for using women, including young girls, as suicide bombers.

Madagali is considered to be at the heart of Boko Haram's insurgency, which aims to establish an Islamic state in the country.

The north west of Nigeria, and particularly Borno State has been one of the most affected regions by the Islamist militant's campaign.

Suicide attacks on crowded areas such as markets and places of worship are commonly deployed by Boko Haram, which specialise in kidnapping and using women and young girls to carry them out. Approximately 15,000 people are thought to have been killed by the militant group, labelled by the Institute of Economics and Peace as the world's deadliest terror group.

In recent months, the Nigerian government has been fighting the group in a major counter-offensive, recapturing much of their former territory. However, the insurgents have ramped up their suicide bombings in response.