Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has strongly refuted claims that the Nigerian military carried out forced abortions on women impregnated by Boko Haram insurgents in Northern Nigeria.
The allegations stem from a February 2022 Reuters report, which accused the military of secretly terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies as part of counter-insurgency efforts in the northeast.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, General Musa dismissed the claims as baseless and an attempt by certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to tarnish the military’s reputation.
“I was the theatre commander when this accusation surfaced, and it was deeply upsetting. I realized most of these organizations do not mean well for us,” he stated.
Musa suggested that such allegations often surface during periods of military success, aimed at undermining morale and discrediting efforts.
“Whenever we are succeeding, they throw this at us to make us look bad. The question is, what is their intent? Are they unhappy with our success?”
Musa recalled urging former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, to investigate the matter thoroughly, confident that no such incidents had occurred.
“When this came up, I told General Irabor we should investigate it thoroughly because I was confident nothing like this happened,” he noted.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) initiated an independent investigation into the allegations, spending over a year reviewing evidence with unrestricted access granted by the military.
General Musa, who testified before the panel in January 2023, revealed that the findings showed no proof of the alleged forced abortions.
“The NHRC committee investigated this for one and a half years, and I was the first to testify in January 2023. They had complete access to go wherever they wanted, and their report found no evidence of these claims,” he affirmed.
Calling for a public apology from those who made the accusations, General Musa disclosed that the military has engaged the Attorney General for possible legal action.