The Nigerian federal government has slammed Reuters for reporting that the Nigerian military performed illegal abortions on Boko Haram victims.
In response to Reuter’s investigation, Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, stated that any accusations made against the Nigerian army without supporting documentation are dangerous.
According to the report, the Nigerian military allegedly carried out a covert abortion programme in the north-east of the nation, ending at least 10,000 pregnancies among insurgency victims.
But Lai said the report is a strategy to set the world against Nigeria and cut off the support that is critical to crushing terrorists.
He said Reuters made the allegation without evidence, citing only anonymous sources and the reported review of phantom “documents”.
“The agency claimed that its investigation was based on interviews with 33 women and girls,” Lai said.
“How do they use interviews with 33 women and girls to arrive at the bogus claim of 10,000 abortions?
“And in a further indication that the figure of abortions quoted was arbitrary or possibly conjured, the agency first put the figure at 12,000 before settling for 10,000,” he said.
Mohammed reiterated the federal government’s position that there was no “secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme” being run by the military in the country.
He queried the basis for the investigation at a time the military is recording successes, decimating the terrorists and rescuing abducted persons.
According to the minister, in 2022 alone, the Nigerian military rescued 11 Chibok girls and 2,018 other persons.
He said 82,645 persons — comprising 16,621 male fighters, 24,638 women and 41,386 children — have surrendered.
Mohammed said the military has also neutralized 494 terrorists, excluding those killed through airstrikes and infighting.
“Why is this news agency not playing up this positive news but instead choosing to give prominence to a phantom abortion story?” he asked.
Lai said the federal government has given its military a clean bill of health over the allegations.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
Lucky Irabor, the chief of defense staff, had also dismissed the report, describing it as “outright nonsense”.
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