Despite the denial by the Nigerian security authorities, the United Nations has urged the Federal Government to investigate the report by Reuters of alleged abortions on pregnant women associated with the Boko Haram insurgents by Nigerian soldiers.
Reuters had on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, in a publication, alleged that the Nigerian Army has been running a secret and illegal abortion programme in the northeast since at least 2013.
The report alleged that no fewer than 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls, many of whom had been kidnapped and raped by Islamist militants.
The military however denied the report, saying it was false. The military egghead also claimed that the report was an attempt to paint the military and the country in a bad light, stressing soldiers had always upheld the best global ethical standards in their operations.
But, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called on the Federal Government to investigate the allegation of coerced abortions programme executed by the army.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that the world body was interested in the matter.
The UN, Dujarric said would want Nigeria to investigate and establish the immediate and remote causes of the said programme if true and report back to it.
A US State Department spokesperson said the Biden administration was “deeply troubled.”
“Our embassy in Abuja is seeking further information, including from the government of Nigeria and stakeholders working in this space,” the spokesperson said. “We have encouraged the government of Nigeria to take the allegations seriously and to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation, and we will continue to do so.”
Nigeria’s defence chief said on Thursday the military will not investigate the report, saying it was not true. The Nigerian government has not responded publicly to the story.
Reuters reports that Information Minister Lai Mohammed could not immediately be reached for comment on the UN call for an investigation.
