A former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, in Maiduguri, Borno state, Major. General Olusegun Adeniyi on Thursday described allegations of 10000 abortions against the Nigerian military by Reuters as cheap and weak narrative.
Specifically, the Army General said it is funny to say the Nigerian Army gave injection to women to abort their pregnancy in the North East as claimed by Reuters.
Speaking at the Special Independent Investigation Panel on Human Rights Violations in the North East, in Abuja, Adeniyi, said the military did not engaged in revenge killing of Boko Haram neither did it carried out ‘operation no living thing or operation waste as further alleged.
Adeniyi, also a former Brigade commander 37 Artillery Brigade Maiduguri challenged Reuters to publish names of military personnel involved and visuals of the allegations.
It would be recalled that a 7- Member panel chaired by a retired Supreme Court Judge, Honourable Justice Abdu Aboki had held a two-week sitting in Maiduguri, Borno state following reports of human rights violations against the Nigeria military by Reuters.
At the Abuja sitting, the former theatre Commander, who is now the Director, Directorate of Counter Terrorism of the Nigerian Army Research Center said Reuters should back their allegations with proof, saying “let the girls whose pregnancy was aborted come out”.
“In Africa we don’t do such things, some of us have two, three wives, when you see a pregnant woman in Nigeria, everybody try to protect her, so to now say some women are in custody of soldiers and these soldiers are not human beings, they are giving them injection to abort the baby is ridiculous.
“I know very well, there is no commander authorised to do such a thing, and I don’t think somebody will give you money to go and buy such drug to abort.
“The soldiers are not bitter that they are fighting Boko Haram, they are doing their daily work. There is a law of war, there are rules of war, there are ways war are conducted.
“And if you as a commander gives this as an instruction, the person you are giving knows it is illegal and he knows a day will come and they will ask him.
“When you look at these allegations, it is very strange that a woman is pregnant and you will give her injection to abort the pregnancy”.
Meanwhile, Adeniyi, throughout the period of investigation by panel disagreed vehemently with Reuters on all the allegations and exonerated the military.
