Mum of suspected bomber who disguised as a woman says he's not a terrorist

On Friday July 25th, the Nigerian military released a statement saying they'd arrested a man dressed as a woman who is suspected to be connected with the Wednesday 23rd bomb blast targeted at former Head of state, General Buhari. (read here)

Well, the suspect's mother Zubeida Yusuf, who lives in Mando, Kaduna has spoken and she says her son, Mansir Yusuf, is no terrorist. She said the military mistook her son for a terrorist because he was found wearing female clothes;

“My son is not a terrorist. What is wrong with him is an evil spiritual attack which is making him to prefer women’s clothing and to act as one who is mentally retarded. Everyone in Mando knows that he only has a spiritual condition that is making him to act strangely.

“He often dresses normal from home, but whenever he gets to an uncompleted building, he would go in and change to the female clothes. He usually carries his bag. He has been taken to the Village Head several times and has been flogged in the hope to cast away the spirits, but the spirits have remained and have continued to torment him,” Zubeida told Daily Trust. Continue...

According to her, they were at home on Wednesday when they heard of the bomb blast in Kawo and people were running there. 

“My son said he was going there too and I told him to stay at home. But he sneaked out, and as usual he carried his bag with woman clothes and mobile phones.”

She said she later heard that her son had been killed and later that he was arrested by the military.
Zubeida challeged the government and everyone to come to Aminu Kano Street in Mando and ask of Mansir Yusuf,  saying “they all know him and know his spiritual challenges for years.”

An elderly man in Mando said the suspect was actually under spiritual attack.

“We have even suggested several treatment options to the family which I am sure they have commenced. But his case is purely a spiritual attack,” he said.

The suspect’s elder brother Ibrahim Yusuf said 

“the spirits making my brother to misbehave strangely have hindered him from doing any work to earn a living except the desire for wearing female clothes.”

A resident of Kawo, Sirajo Suleiman said Yusuf was not found with any explosives apart from some mobile phones and clothes.

Hassan Mai Shayi who stays in Kawo and knew the suspect said,

“I heard that the mastermind of the blast has been caught but before I could go and see him another person told me that the suspect is a mentally retarded boy from Mando and that nothing was found on him.”