FG debunks abortion claims against military in North East

By our correspondent

The Federal Government has denied allegations of arbitrary abortion exercised allegedly carried out by the military in parts of the North East of Nigeria as reported by a foreign news platform. 

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who debunked the abortion claims in Abuja, Monday, while speaking in an opening remark at the 10th edition of the Buhari administration scorecard, advanced reasons why the accusation of running an abortion programme levelled at Nigeria’s military cannot stand:

“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? Why is this so-called investigation coming at a time that our heroic men and women in uniform have been recording successes after successes, 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, 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 these positive news but instead chose 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? Only the news agency can answer these questions,” the Information Minister said. 

He however affirmed that the government stands by its  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 Northeast are not arbitrary but based on the military’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Rules of Engagement (ROE), among others.

Where any proven infraction or criminal act has been committed by any soldier, the law has always taken its course. But it is beyond the pale and downright dangerous to accuse a nation’s military, without any verifiable evidence, of massive illegal abortions and infanticide,” the Information Minister said.