A witness of the Nigerian Army, Major General Victor Ezeugwu expressed surprise about Reuters’ allegations of massive abortion of pregnancies, the massacre of children, and other forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, saying that such claims have no place in a professional and modern Army.
General Ezeugwu who expressed dismay at the allegations told the 7-Member Panel of the Special Independent Investigation on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency Operations in the North East that the said allegations are unfounded.
“Assuming such violations took place, it would have been taken up by the hierarchy of the military because apart from Army channels, there are other means of checking any possible abuse or infractions on the part of the soldiers.
“Describing the abortions as secret and systematic is trying to justify that 10,000 abortions were done by the Army despite the fact that every Army commander has a way of making sure they check the activities of soldiers”, he added.
The former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, therefore, stated that the allegation is not based on facts, saying it is not a true testimony of what Nigerian soldiers are doing in the North East, stressing that these cannot be substantiated.
