An Independent Investigative Panel that was set-up by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, on Friday, said it found no evidence to support an allegation that Nigerian soldiers conducted forced and illegal abortions on women and girls in the North-East region of the country.
The seven-man panel, headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Abdul Aboki, described as false, the allegation that was contained in a special report that was published by a foreign media organization.
The Justice Aboki-led panel which took 18 months to investigate alleged human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in the North East, said it visited various locations in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe state and also recorded testimonies of 199 witnesses in a bid to confirm the media report.
“The Panel finds that: There is no evidence that the Nigerian military conducted a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the North-East.
“There is no evidence from the field investigations and documents that the Panel considered to confirm that women and girls died in the North-East from illegal and forced abortions performed by the Nigerian military,” it added.
However, the panel noted that records it obtained from 57 medical practitioners that were interviewed in the course of the investigation, revealed that a total of 357,693 doses of two key pregnancy related medications- Oxytocin and Misoprostol- were administered on patients in the three states, between 2013 and 2022.
According to the panel, none of the hospitals in the three states had any record that linked the military with the alleged secret abortions or illegal administration of the pregnancy related medications, in the affected region.
It will be recalled that an international media organization, Reuters, had in a report it published in December 2022, accused the Nigerian Military of running a secret, systematic and illegal abortion program in the North East region of the country.
The report specifically alleged that the covert abortion program, which it said was backed by the government, had led to the illegal termination of at least 10, 000 pregnancies in the crisis torn states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, since 2013.
Irked by the report, the then Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Lucky Irabor, on December 16, 2022, stormed the NHRC, asking it to investigate the allegation.
Meanwhile, as part of its findings, the Justice Aboki-led panel found the military culpable over extra-judicial killings that took place in Abisare, Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, in June 2016.
“The Panel recommends to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the payment of compensation to the victims of the killings in Abisare in Marte Local Government. The Panel further recommends that this payment be made within 90 days of the receipt of this report.
“The Panel urges the National Human Rights Commission to work out a compensation regime and recommend same to the Federal Government of Nigeria within a period of 30 days from the receipt of this report.
“The Panel recommends to the Nigerian Armed Forces and other appropriate authorities to constitute a Court Martial to prosecute suspected officers and men of the Defunct 8 Task Force Division, Monguno who were operational in Abisare, Marte Local Government of Borno State in June 2016 or other units of the Nigerian Armed Forces who were operational at the location within the same period.
“The Panel recommends to the National Human Rights Commission to act under section 5(p) of the NHRC Act of 2010 and refer for prosecution by the Attorney General of the Federation, retired suspected officers and men of the Defunct 8 Task Force Division, Monguno who were operational in Abisare, Marte Local Government of Borno State in June 2016 or other units of the Nigerian Armed Forces who were operational at the location within the same period.
“The Panel recommends the enhancement of transparency in the prosecutorial process of terrorists suspects by regularly publishing statistics on the number and conditions of detainees, their legal status, and the outcomes of their cases and implementing mechanisms for independent monitoring and oversight to prevent abuses and ensure adherence to legal and human rights standards are effective steps to protect the rights of detainees.
“Based on the foregoing recommendation, the Panel urges the NHRC to: Within six months of the presentation of this report, develop Guidelines that will promote the human rights of detainees and terror suspects in accordance with international human rights standards.
“The leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces should within six months of the submission of this report: Establish a dedicated human rights unit within the military operations and formations.
“This Unit will be responsible for providing training, guidance, and oversight on human rights issues. It should be staffed with experts in international human rights law, military ethics, and conflict resolution.
“Develop a system for investigating and addressing human rights violations.
This system should be independent, impartial, and transparent. It should include mechanisms for receiving complaints, conducting investigations, and holding perpetrators accountable,” the report further read.
In his remarks after he received the report, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Mr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, said it would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities for effective implementation of all the recommendations.
