The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has announced the formation of a panel to investigate, among other things, a report by global news agency Reuters that the Nigerian military performed abortions on pregnancies resulting from relationships with insurgents in North East Nigeria over the last decade.
According to a report by Reuters, the military is allegedly engaging in child abortions as well as other forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as part of its operations against insurgents in the North East.
The Nigerian military, however, has denied the claims, calling them utter nonsense and claiming that they were an attempt to harm the reputation of the Nigerian Armed Forces, who have been at the forefront of the counter-insurgency efforts in the North East. This was done through the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor.
“Their allusion is news to me. It never occurred. I never saw anything like that from Maiduguri down to Maimalamari Cantonment where I lived that is a major hospital for our personnel and their family. I am disappointed to say the least. So, it is not true.”
But he had also said he will allow the NHRC Commission to probe the claim.
It was in this regard that the NHRC announced the setting up of Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in the Implementation of Counter Insurgency Operations in the North East (SIIP-North East) on Tuesday in a statement issued by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr Tony Ojukwu, SAN, in Abuja.
Ojukwu said the panel will be inaugurated on Feb. 7 at the Bukhari Bello Auditorium, NHRC Headquarters in Abuja.
Members of the panel, he said, are retired Justice Abdu Aboki, Supreme Court justice as Chairman, Ms Kemi Okonyedo, representing Women Rights Organisation, Mr Azubuike Nwankenta, representing NBA
Others are retired Maj.-Gen. Letam Wiwa, (Military Law and Intelligence Expert), Dr. Maisaratu Bakari (Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology (Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital Yola).
Others are Dr Fatima Akilu (Humanitarian Expert, representing Civil Society), and Ms Halima Nuradeen (Psychologist, representing Youths).