A human rights group, Northeast Advocacy for Peace and Justice (NAPJ), has described a report by Reuters, a London-based news agency, alleging forced abortion of unborn babies in facilities run by the Nigerian Army as a fabrication aimed at undermining national security.
The CSO in a statement signed by its convener, Ambassador Abdullahi Gambo, stressed that the said report was a conspiracy to derail peace efforts and the fight against insurgency in the country.
NAPJ insisted that the report was a premeditated, high wired and international attempt to thwart the successes recorded by the Nigerian Army in the battle to finally eliminate Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the country.
“The report is clearly targeted at the Nigerian Army with the sole aim of giving the security forces a bad name and painting the soldiers as violating conventional laws of engagement,” it said.
The North-East group, which has been deeply involved in advocacy for peace in the region over several years, described the Reuters report as an attempt at undermining national security and called on security agencies to unmask sponsors of such fabricated report.
“it is disheartening and worrying that Reuters would give its medium to enemies of Nigeria and publish such damaging report against the military that has worked extremely hard to contain the activities of BokoHaram/ISWAP.
“The news medium claimed to have began its investigation since 2013, about a decade ago. All these years, Reuters never blew the whistle or raised alarm. The report is coming out now that the military is almost eliminating the threat of BokoHaram/ ISWAP in the country. The women, soldiers and those they claimed to have interviewed are fictional and make belief characters that do not exist in real life.
“There is no doubt in our minds that Reuters is sponsored by the west to defame the Nigerian Army. Severally, countries like the US and UK have been issuing security alert warnings to their citizens of impending attracts on some cities and public places in the country, all in a bid to create panic in the citizens and discredit the security forces in the country. No attack has taken place and the citizens of these countries have returned and are moving about their daily activities,” it added.
Military Dismisses Alleged Abortion Programme In North East
Leader of the group, Ambassador Abdullahi Gambo, while condemning the news medium described the report as a figment of the imagination of the sponsors of Reuters.
The report is concocted to discredit “the Nigerian Army on the abortion programme and killing of children in violation of international laws. It’s aim is to get the international community to desist from cooperating with the Nigerian military and sale of weapons to the country.
“It is our firm consideration that the foreign sponsors and international groups funding the activities of BokoHaram/ISWAP are responsible for such damming report,” it further stressed.
The North-East group, therefore, passed a vote of confidence on the Nigerian military and asked the government and people of Nigeria to discountenance such cruelly fabricated report and call for support to the Nigerian military
Ambassador Gambo warned the UK and the US and other foreign countries to stay away from causing panic in the county.
