Reuters did not appear before a panel set up by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, to investigate the media organisation’s report that the Nigerian Military ran a secret mass abortion programme in the war against Boko Haram, NewsNGR has learnt.
In a report published in December 2022, Reuters said its investigations revealed that, from around 2013, the Nigerian military conducted “a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme” in Borno State and other parts of the North-East, leading to the termination “at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls”.
According to the report, many of the pregnant women had been kidnapped and raped by Islamist militants.
Quoting witnesses, the report said those who resisted the forced abortions were beaten, held at gunpoint or drugged into compliance.
Nigerian military authorities denied the report.
The National Human Rights Commission, in February 2023, announced that it had set up a panel to investigate the report.
The panel is known as Special Independent Investigative Panel (SIIP) on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency Operations in North-East Nigeria.
The panel was mandated to: “Investigate allegations of gross violations of national and international human rights laws/principles alleged against the Nigerian Armed Forces in the three reports by Reuters. (Sections 5(a)(b)(j) and 6(1)(a) of the NHRC Act, 2010).
“Receive memorandum from individuals and organisations with interest in the subject matter of the mandate of the SIIP North-East, especially human rights, security and humanitarian organisations working in the North-East.
“Make appropriate determinations as to culpability of individuals or institutions as may be deemed necessary in each circumstance. (Section 5(j) of the NHRC Act 2010).
“Make determination as to the damages or compensation payable in relation to any violation of human rights where it deems this necessary in the circumstances of the case (Section 6(e) of the NHRC Act, 2010).
“Refer any matter of human rights violations requiring prosecution to the Attorney General of the Federation or of a State, as the case may be. (Section 5(p) of the NHRC Act, 2010).”
The NHRC announced in March 2024 that it had concluded hearings as part of the investigation.
However, a source in the Commission revealed that Reuters did not honour an invitation to appear before the panel during the public hearings.
“Reuters didn’t appear before us,” the source said, noting that the panel visited some of the areas mentioned in the report, including Kukawa, in Borno State.
The source added that the NHRC panel’s report is “95 per cent ready”.
NHRC Executive Secretary, Dr Tony Ojukwu, SAN, recently disclosed that the final report of the panel will soon be ready for presentation to the public.
It would be recalled that at the time Reuters published the report in December 2022, then Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, dismissed the allegations.
“I don’t think I should waste my energy in such things,” he said while responding to questions on the alleged forced abortion programme at a news conference.
The Federal Government equally denied the Reuters report, describing it as fake.
Speaking on the matter, then minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said, “The Federal Government hereby categorically states that there is no ‘secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme’ being run by our military in the North East or anywhere across the country.
“We also hereby reject the accusation of running an abortion programme levelled against our military.
“We stand by our military, which has served meritoriously at home and at regional and global peacekeeping operations from 1960 to date.
“We know that military operations in the North-East are not arbitrary but based on the military’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Rules of Engagement (ROE), among others.
“Where any proven infraction or criminal act has been committed by any soldier, the law has always taken its course.
“But it is beyond the pale and downright dangerous to accuse a nation’s military, without any verifiable evidence, of massive illegal abortions and infanticide.”