Abortion, Rape: CDS Hails Investigation Panel, Says Army Committed To Human Rights

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has hailed the report of the Special Independent Human Rights Investigative Panel that investigated alleged rape, abortions, torture and extra-judicial killings by soldiers fighting terrorism in the North East.

General Musa said the Nigeria Army and other armed forces in Nigeria are committed to upholding the all citizens’ human rights, includingg in theaters of operations.

Recall that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in February 2023 constituted a special investigative panel to probe a report by an international news agency, Reuters, that the military ran a secret abortion programme in its fight against terrorists in the North East in the last 10 years, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) allegations of mass killing by the military in Marte, Borno State.

The seven-member panel chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge, Abdu Aboki, including a retired major general, a representative from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and an expert in obstetrics and gynecology, exonerated Nigeria Army from the allegations.

In a statement, Musa stated that the panel carried a painstaking and thorough investigation since it was instituted in 2023.

“The Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa has hailed the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency in the North East for exonerating the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) from indictments by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Reuters regarding allegations on forceful abortions and other infractions in the North East.

“It could be recalled that the report of the panel specifically stated that the allegations of systematic abortions, torture, rape and extra juducial killings levelled against the AFN were false.

“The CDS therefore commends the 7-man panel led by Justice Abdu Aboki (rtd) for painstakingly carrying out a thorough job since its inauguration in March 2023 by the Nigerian Human Rights Commission.

General Musa wishes to seize this opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the defence of human rights and resolve to ensure peace reign in the country,” it read.

It added that “no amount of false accusations will distract the AFN from exercising its constitutional mandate of protecting the territorial integrity of the nation“.