The Federal Government has debunked the report of international news agency claiming that Nigerian military, in their fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP, has been running a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in Northeast of the country.
Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who made this known at the 10th Edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard Series in Abuja on Monday, stated that there’s no ‘secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme’ being run by the military in the Northeast or anywhere across the country.
Alhaji Mohammed who once again alerted the nation the dangers posed by fake news and disinformation, said, “I have had a reason to speak on this at this forum, when I warned that fake news and disinformation constitute a clear and present danger to the 2023 election.
However, he added that fake news and disinformation, if not checked, can also have a negative impact on the nation’s ongoing fight against terrorism.
“According to the news agency report stating that because ‘the children of insurgents are predestined, by the blood in their veins, to one day take up arms against the Nigerian government and society’. Also claimed that 10,000 such abortions have been carried out from 2013 to date on women and girls”.
The Minister noted that the news agency made this grave allegation without a scintilla of evidence, citing only anonymous sources and the reported review of phantom ‘documents’.
He further said the agency claimed that its investigation was based on interviews with 33 women and girls. “Interview with 33 women and girls to arrive at the bogus claim of 10,000 abortions? And in a further indication that the figure of abortions quoted was arbitrary or possibly conjured, the agency first put the figure at 12,000 before settling for 10,000”.
The Minister clearly stated that such accusation is rejected while categorized such story as a scary instance of fake news and disinformation combined, adding that the writers deserve an award in fiction writing.
He questioned the motive of this news agency and the usual suspects who have latched on to this story? Asking why this so-called investigation coming at a time that the heroic men and women in uniform have been recording successes after successes.
“Decimating the terrorists, rescuing abducted persons and receiving hundreds of thousands of terrorists who have surrendered?”.
“For the record, the Nigerian military has rescued 11 Chibok girls with all their children 2,018 other persons (comprising 339 adult males, 660 adult females and 1019 children), while 82,645 persons, comprising 16,621 male fighters, 24,638 women and 41,386 children, have surrendered”.
Enlisting further the success of the Nigerian military, he said they have
also neutralized 494 terrorists (note that this does not include terrorists neutralized through airstrikes and terrorists’ infighting).
He asked, “Why this news agency not playing up these positive news but instead chose to give prominence to a phantom abortion story? Is this a ploy to demoralize and distract our fighting forces? Is it a strategy to set the world against Nigeria and cut off the support that is critical to crushing terrorists? Only the news agency can answer these questions”.
The Minister reaffirmed FG stand by the military, which has served meritoriously at home, and at regional and global peacekeeping operations from 1960 to date. “We know that military operations in the Northeast are not arbitrary but based on the military’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Rules of Engagement (ROE), among others”.
Alhaji Mohammed further noted that where any proven infraction or criminal act has been committed by any soldier, the law has always taken its course. “But it is beyond the pale downright dangerous to accuse a nation’s military, without any verifiable evidence, of massive illegal abortions and infacticide”, he said.