Nigerian military cleared of forced abortions by panel, soldiers indicted over death of children in north-east

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has cleared the Nigerian military of allegations that it conducted forced abortions on thousands of women in the northeast, following an independent investigation by a committee led by former Supreme Court Justice Abdu Aboki. The committee was established in response to reports alleging that the military forced at least 10,000 women to undergo abortions between 2013 and 2021. However, the panel’s findings, presented in Abuja, revealed no evidence to support these claims.

Hilary Ogbonna, the panel’s secretary, disclosed that the investigation had instead found that a non-governmental organization (NGO) carried out abortions in the region during the specified period. “There was no evidence before the panel to prove that the Nigerian Armed Forces committed systematic, secret, or policy-driven abortions in the northeast,” Ogbonna stated. He also clarified that the committee had not found evidence of the military engaging in systematic infanticide or mass child killings as alleged in previous reports.

However, the panel did indict individual soldiers for specific acts of violence. Notably, it found members of the military responsible for a 2016 incident in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, where soldiers reportedly set ablaze a woman and three children. Witness testimonies from survivors contributed to this finding, with the panel interviewing 199 witnesses throughout the investigation.

The NHRC’s findings seek to address the controversial allegations while holding accountable those soldiers implicated in the documented incident. The report is expected to inform further actions by the commission and may prompt follow-up investigations or legal proceedings.