The National Human Rights Commission says it is committed to unraveling the truth behind the allegations contained in a report by Reuters, which accused the Nigerian army of illegally terminating pregnancies of women believed to be Boko Haram members.
The NHRC said members of the affected communities in Borno State were giving the panel maximum cooperation, adding that Reuters must also be ready to testify before the panel to clarify certain things.
The engagement, the commission believes, would increase the chances of unraveling the mystery surrounding the Reuters story as soon as possible.
In December 2022, Reuters, an international news agency, accused the army of running an abortion programme during its counter-insurgency mission in the North-East.
Reuters in the investigative report alleged that the military, about a decade ago, ran a secret programme which led to the termination of at least 10,000 pregnancies of women believed to be Boko Haram members. The report also accused the military of being complicit in the massacre of children during its fight against the insurgency.
The NHRC therefore set up a seven-member panel of experts in February, 2023 to probe the allegation.
In an interview with our correspondent recently, the Deputy Director, Public Affairs at the NHRC, Fatimah Mohammed, expressed the commission’s determination to get to the root of the matter.
She stated, “You know there are many parties involved in the Reuters report. The panel is taking its time to carefully engage them to do a thorough job. The ones we can take in Abuja, we have taken their testimonies and we have also been to Borno State to engage very crucial parties.
“To say the panel has been suspended? It cannot be suspended. We will get to the root of the matter, only then will our job be completed. The commission is determined to unravel the truth in the Reuters report. We started in good faith and no matter how difficult it may look, we will not be deterred. We will deliver by God’s grace.”
“Community members are giving us the maximum cooperation and I think that is what we need at this stage. We need Reuters to also cooperate with us too. We need them to come and testify just the way other parties are testifying. Their allegations are very serious and they need to come and clear the air.”
The Special Independent Investigative Panel, led by a retired justice of the Supreme Court, Abdu Aboki, has so far taken testimonies from officers who were involved in the counter-insurgency fight during the years under focus.
Top military personnel, who had appeared before the panel, dismissed the allegations and condemned the report.
