An inquiry panel of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has charged the Nigerian military over a case of mass infanticide and other killings that occurred in 2016 in Abisari, Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, North East Nigeria.
However, the panel cleared the Army of mass abortion allegations contained in a December 2022 Reuters investigative report.
The Special Independent Investigation Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counterinsurgency Operations in North East Nigeria (SIIP North East), which was in place for almost two years, released its findings at the NHRC headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
The NHRC had set up the seven-member panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, Abdu Aboki, in January 2023, following a Reuters investigative report in December 2022 that alleged the Nigerian military was running a secret program that It terminated at least 10,000 pregnancies of freed women. held captive by Boko Haram terrorists in the restive northeastern region.
According to Reuters, many of the pregnancies were the result of the rape of women and girls kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters.
The federal government and the Nigerian military denied the allegations. But United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an investigation.
In the heat of the controversy, the NHRC set up a panel to broadly investigate violations committed during military counterinsurgency operations in the northeast over the years.
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Highlighting key findings of the panel in Abuja on Friday, NHRC senior human rights adviser Hilary Ogbonna said there was no evidence to support the allegations in the Reuters report.
“For the assault on abortion, the panel found no evidence that the Nigerian Armed Forces committed secret or political systematic abortion in the northeast to the tune of 10,000 abortions. “There was no evidence before the panel to show that,” he said.
Representative sample of those attending the presentation of the panel's report in Abuja on Friday.
However, Ogbonna said the Nigerian military was found guilty of infanticide, child murder and murder of other residents of Abisari village in Borno State.
“But the panel found the military guilty of infanticide and murder of community members in an Abisari village in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State on June 16, 2016,” he said, while noting that the military had denied the accusation.
Representatives of the Nigerian military were present at Friday's event but did not speak about the report.
Recommendations and implementation of the plan.
The panel recommended compensation to the victims of the Abisare murders and the prosecution of officers suspected of being involved.
NHRC Executive Secretary Tony Ojukwu said the commission would undertake a series of public consultations and discussions on the report to ensure its implementation.
He added that the CNDH will hold a civil-military forum where the report and its implementation strategies will be discussed with all interested parties.
Military personnel at the presentation of the award at the NHRC headquarters in Abuja on Friday
He said: “As part of our commitment to ensuring that the panel's recommendations are fully implemented, the NHRC will embark on a series of public consultations and conversations about the report.
“The first of this series will take place in Maiduguri next week. We plan to organize similar forums in Damaturu and Yola.
“In December, the NHRC plans to organize a Civil-Military Forum where the report and its implementation strategies will be discussed with all stakeholders. In addition, the NHRC will work closely with military and medical institutions to promote respect for human rights in humanitarian situations.”
According to him, the NHRC “is committed to ensuring that citizens of the Abisari community identified in the report receive compensation and will continue to work with the military and the Attorney General's Office to ensure that justice is served. “Never again will these types of atrocities go unaddressed.”
research process; Reuters rejected the panel's invitation
The panel heard from 199 witnesses, including civilians and military personnel from the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states) during its proceedings.
Among the witnesses were eight girls rescued from Boko Hara.
They also include district heads, state actors, 16 non-governmental organizations, whistleblowers and 57 hospital workers.
Cross section of attendees
Attempts to obtain data from some hospitals were not possible due to poor recording systems. Key witnesses had also died, which also served as a challenge.
On March 25, 2023, Army Chief of Staff Farouk Yahaya testified before the panel.
The then Chief of the Defense Staff, Lucky Irabor, also testified in May 2023.
Both the officers and other military officials denied the allegations leveled against the military during the panel hearing.
Some military witnesses said that the issue of terminating pregnancies was a personal matter and not a military concern.
However, Reuters, MSF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were said to have refused to accept the panel's invitation.
The chairman of the panel, Mr Aboki, said the investigation process was fair.
“It is to the credit of the members of the panel, the secretariat, the CNDH and the partners who support me that today I can proudly affirm that an extensive and exhaustive investigation based on justice and equity has been carried out,” he said.
Background
The December 2022 Reuters report accused the Nigerian military of perpetuating a series of serious human rights violations during counterinsurgency operations in the northeast since 2013.
The alleged abuses include conducting secret, systemic and illegal abortion programs, which terminated at least 10,000 pregnancies.
The Reuters report recounted the experiences of some alleged victims who claimed to have witnessed deaths resulting from forced abortions by the Nigerian military. According to the report, the women were Boko Haram captives rescued by the Nigerian military.
The report alleged that most abortions were carried out without the consent of the women and girls.
The news organization's report also highlighted cases of airstrikes against Boko Haram camps, which ended up killing civilians, including women and children.