The federal government has denied allegations that the Nigerian military was running a secret abortion scheme for its female officers. Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed stated this during a press conference in Abuja following a report by a foreign news agency that no fewer than 10,000 female military operatives were subjected to forced abortion in the military facility. Mr. Mohammed described the news as fake, and concocted and wondered how an agency that described itself as a news outlet will spew such a figure void of reference only claiming that they interviewed 33 persons while describing other sources as “unidentified”.
The Minister stated, “As you are all aware, an international news agency recently reported that the Nigerian military, in their fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP, has been running a secret, systematic and illegal abortion program in the North East.
“Ostensibly, according to the news agency 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.’
“The story also claimed that 10,000 such abortions have been carried out from 2013 to date on women and girls.
“The news agency made this grave allegation without a scintilla of evidence, citing only anonymous sources and the reported review of phantom ‘documents’, the Minister added.
“The agency claimed that its investigation was based on interviews with 33 women and girls.
Mr. Mohammed continued, “The Federal Government, hereby, categorically states that there is no ‘secret, systematic and illegal abortion program’ being run by our military in the North East or anywhere across the country.
“We also, hereby, reject the accusation of running an abortion program leveled at our military.
“We state categorically that this story is a scary instance of fake news and disinformation combined. The writers deserve an award in fiction writing.
“The question is: what’s the motive of this news agency and the usual suspects, who have latched on to this story?
The Minister explained, “Why is this so-called investigation coming at a time that our heroic men and women in uniform have been recording success after success, 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, and have surrendered.”
“The military has also neutralized 494 terrorists; note that this does not include terrorists neutralized through airstrikes and terrorists’ infighting.
“Why is this news agency not playing up this positive news, but instead choosing 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? The statement added.
“Only the news agency can answer these questions.
“But we stand by our 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 North East are not arbitrary but based on the military’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Rules of Engagement (ROE), among others” Mr. Mohammed concluded.