There’s a strong possibility that after more than a year in captivity, some of the Chibok girls could have been indoctrinated by their kidnappers to carry out suicide attacks, but there’s no clear evidence that this is the case. The government believes the Chibok girls are still more or less together and being held by the terrorists in a secret location. Meanwhile Boko Haram has abducted hundreds of young women and girls in other towns and villages in Nigeria’s northeastern region.

According to local sources, Boko Haram currently operates suicide bombing training camps in Kirenuwa town in Marte, 112 kilometers north of Maiduguri, and in Kala Balge area in northern Borno. Those are in addition to parts of the deadly Sambisa forest, where the Nigerian military is currently carrying out an offensive against the insurgents.

These same local sources say that when women are abducted by the militants the “young and smart” girls are separated from the older ones and trained on how to handle heavy weapons or carry out suicide attacks, or both.