Nigeria denies mass ‘abortion programme’ of Boko Haram victims | Boko Haram Information

The Reuters report mentioned no less than 10,000 pregnancies have been forcefully terminated, principally with out consent, in northeast Nigeria.

Nigeria’s army has denied conducting a years-long illicit programme to hold out abortions amongst girls and ladies who’ve been victims of armed teams within the northwest, a declare reported by Reuters on Wednesday.

“Since no less than 2013, the Nigerian army has carried out a secret, systematic and unlawful abortion programme within the nation’s northeast, ending no less than 10,000 pregnancies amongst girls and ladies,” the information company mentioned.

It mentioned lots of the girls and ladies had been kidnapped and raped by armed fighters, including that those that resisted an abortion ran the danger of being “overwhelmed, held at gunpoint or drugged into compliance.”

The report was based mostly on witness statements from 33 girls and ladies, 5 well being staff, and 9 safety personnel concerned within the alleged programme, and on army paperwork and hospital data “describing or tallying 1000’s of abortion procedures”.

Many of the abortions, Reuters mentioned, have been carried out with out the lady’s consent and a few have been carried out with out their prior information, by means of abortion-inducing capsules or injections handed off as drugs to spice up well being or fight illness. The company was unable to determine who created the abortion program or decide who within the army or authorities ran it.

United States Division of State spokesperson Ned Value mentioned on Wednesday that Washington was wanting into the report.

“It was a harrowing report. … It’s a regarding report and for that purpose, we’re in search of additional data,” he mentioned.

Northeastern Nigeria is the epicentre of a battle spearheaded by armed teams, most notably Boko Haram in 2009.

Greater than 40,000 folks have been killed and about two million folks displaced within the long-running battle, which has spilled into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

In its response, the Nigerian military lashed the report as “a physique of insults on the Nigerian peoples and tradition. Nigerian army personnel have been raised, bred and additional educated to guard lives,” it mentioned.

“[The] Nigerian army won’t, subsequently, ponder such evil of working a scientific and unlawful abortion programme wherever and anytime, and absolutely not on our personal soil.”

Faith performs a core half in Nigerian life, with Islam because the dominant religion within the north of the nation, and Christianity within the south.

Abortion is against the law within the nation besides when the mom’s life is at risk.

Within the north, unlawful being pregnant termination carries the danger of a 14-year jail time period.