London: A group of Boko Haram terrorists tried to flee a Nigerian army checkpoint by dressing as women, only to be given away by their bushy beards. The jihadists tried to slip through a cordon in the suburbs of the north-east town of Baga, which the Nigerian military has been trying to wrest from Boko Haram control. But despite dressing in the colourful patterned wraps favoured by local women, they were unable to disguise their unshaven looks or masculine gaits. They were quickly spotted by local security forces, who paraded them before the press yesterday (Tuesday). Baga is one of the largest towns to fall under Boko Haram’s control, but has been targeted recently by a major operation to restore law and order ahead of next month’s Nigerian presidential elections, which have already been postponed by six weeks. Nigerian commanders said they also found vehicles used by Boko Haram daubed with the marks of the Daesh terrorist group, with which Boko Haram has expressed solidarity. The attempts to retake Baga came as a suicide bomber forced his way on to a bus at a station in the city of Potiskum, also in north-east Nigeria, detonating explosives that killed 12 people and injured 20. Hours later, another explosion ripped through a bus station in the northern city of Kano, although the number of casualties was not clear. In Kogi State in central Nigeria, gunmen kidnapped a female American missionary, although it was thought the abduction was by a group seeking a ransom rather than acting out of terrorist motives.