“Military Chief Denies Allegations of Secret Abortion Program by Nigerian Forces”
General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, on Friday vehemently rejected allegations that the Nigerian military had been involved in forcefully aborting pregnancies among women impregnated by Boko Haram insurgents in Northern Nigeria.
The claims were originally reported by Reuters in February 2022, which alleged that the military had conducted a covert abortion program as part of its counter-insurgency efforts in the northeast, terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls.
General Musa dismissed these allegations as unfounded and part of a broader smear campaign by certain non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with hidden agendas. He said, “I was the theatre commander when this accusation surfaced, and it was deeply upsetting. Most of these organizations do not mean well for us.”
The General suggested that such allegations often surface when the military is making significant progress in its operations, aiming to undermine its achievements and demoralize the troops. “Whenever we are succeeding, they throw this at us to make us look bad. The question is, what is their intent? Are they unhappy with our success?”
General Musa recalled discussing the matter with his predecessor, General Lucky Irabor, and suggested that a thorough investigation be carried out. “I told General Irabor we should investigate it thoroughly because I was confident nothing like this happened,” he added.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) later established an independent panel to investigate the claims. General Musa revealed that the panel found no evidence supporting the allegations and had full access to the military during its year-long investigation. “The NHRC committee investigated this for one and a half years, and I was the first to testify in January 2023. They had complete access to go wherever they wanted, and their report found no evidence of these claims,” he said.
He called for a public apology from those who had made the accusations and stated that the military had involved the Attorney General in pursuing legal action against the accusers. General Musa also questioned the silence of international organizations and local NGOs, including the United Nations, over the span of a decade, if such actions had truly taken place. “If we had been doing this for 10 years, as claimed, why didn’t these organizations report it? Are they also complicit?”
The General also raised concerns about the potential involvement of some NGOs running safe abortion programs for Nigerians, speculating that they might have been the source of the report.
