Women’s Group Demands Reuters ‘Apology Over Military Report

A Human Rights advocacy group, Women Concerns, has called on the international news agency Reuters to apologise to the Nigerian military for its unsubstantiated allegations that it deliberately attacked women and children or carried out secret abortions in its fight against Islamist insurgency in the northeast.

The Reuters report has, however, been discredited by Nigeria’s Human Rights Commission (NHRC) investigation, which found “no evidence” of the allegations.

According to the NHRC, “there is no evidence to establish that the Nigerian military conducted a secret abortion programme in the north-east, ending pregnancies of thousands of women and girls freed from insurgent captivity,”  it said in a report released in a press conference in the capital Abuja.

Women Concerns at a media briefing on Monday, said Reuters should not continue to hold on to a report which couldn’t be proven, but apologise to the Military.

Briefing the press in Abuja, the group’s convener, Aishatu Balarabe, said the NHRC report is an indictment of the Reuters report.

She condemned the deliberate attempts to malign the Armed Forces of Nigeria, saying the news organisation should use its channels to support ongoing operations in affected areas in Nigeria.

“Reuters should stop carrying unbalanced stories, which can mar the efforts of the Nigerian military.

“Women Concerns have done its investigation, using the local people in North East Nigeria. Our investigation shows that the Reuters report can’t be substantiated. Rather than holding on to this, we call on Reuters to apologise to the military.

“What Nigeria, especially the military, needs right now is support and moral boosters to bring the security challenges to an end.

“Women Concerns are confident that despite the activities of warmongers, the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Chris Musa, will continue to deal with those who don’t want peace and progress,” the Group added.