Fed Govt to probe allegation of 10,000 abortions levelled against Nigerian Soldiers
Fed Govt to probe allegation of 10,000 abortions levelled against Nigerian Soldiers
THE Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the allegation that the Nigerian Army ran a secret abortion programme in the North-East, terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls.
Many of the women and girls, according to a report by Reuters, were those who had been kidnapped and raped by terrorists.
General Irabor, who made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu (SAN), in Abuja said “we have taken a look and felt that the commission that is the right establishment that should undertake investigation into it is the NHRC.”
The defence chief, who denied the involvement of Nigerian Soldiers in such an act, said “when you look at it, you feel that this is certainly not us and it does not represent the professional standing of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
He said such an act, as reported by Reuters, does not reflect the professional engagement of the Nigerian Army not just in the North-East but across the length and breadth of the country where the army has footprints of operations in line with the dictate of the constitution.
“At first, we felt there are some extraterritorial powers that want to whittle the strength of the armed forces being at the war front in a current engagement that seeks to bring peace into our land and so some action needs to be taken,” General Irabor said.
He said the NHRC, as an agency of government that ensures that the fundamental human rights of Nigerians are not violated, should investigate the allegation against the Nigerian Armed Forces by Reuters.
“It is in that light that I have come to formally inform you, if you are not thinking about it,” he said and assured the commission of the cooperation of the armed forces in the course of the investigation.
He said: “I assure you of unfettered access. We will grant you access to all our establishments across the country.
