By Emma Okereh.
Two former commanders of Nigerian Army who served in Maiduguri in the counter insurgency effort, Monday, told the human rights panel investigating Reuters’ reports of massacre and massive abortion of pregnant locals said to have been committed by the Army as false and tarnishing to both Nigeria and the Army. Testifying before the 7-Member panel chaired by Justice Abdu Aboki (rtd), at the resumed hearing of the panel at the human rights commission headquarters in Abuja yesterday, witness no 84, Major General James Akomolafe (rtd) refuted allegations of abortion of 10,000 pregnancies, massacre of children, and deliberate violation of rights of women in the North East by the Nigerian military, saying they did not witness such atrocious acts under his command. He also said that there was no IDPs at the time he commanded.He said he served as a brigade commander in 2014 in the theatre of operations at the time at 21 armoured brigade in Bama. Komolafe said that by the nature of the operation, the medical team were stationed at the barracks where they treated injured soldiers. He explained that food supplies were restricted at the gate and the medical team also provided services to the personnel only.
Another witness, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr who testified via zoom as he was in far away in Berlin, expressed disgust at the report saying the report is tarnishing to the huge effort the military is making to bring peace to the troubled north east. He said he served as a brigade commander in operation lafia dole and had served in the north east for three times. He said the hospital was for soldiers but the Army conducted medical outreach to win the hearts and minds of the locals. In their testimonies, the two officers maintained that the Nigerian Army is professional and adheres to rules of engagement. They said they protected the settlements under their jurisdiction to ensure that Boko Haram elements did not take them over. General Sawyerr said that the teenagers in the IDPs were well looked after as the Army could not turn against the people that they were meant to protect.
Their position is contrary to the allegation leveled by an international news agency, Reuters which had in December 2022 published a three-part report alleging that the Nigerian military had since 2013 carried out a secret, systematic, and illegal abortion of pregnancies involving women and girls in the country’s North East and other violations as earlier stated.
Reuters had since then, published more reports insisting it got its information from the locals. The testimonies of the duo was at the instance of the Special Independent Investigative panel on Human Rights Violations in the Counter Insurgency Operations in the North East which resumed in Abuja after some fact finding tours and sitting in the North East.
