The Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency Operation in the North East, set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has vowed to return to the affected communities for further investigations of the forceful and illegal abortions as well as other forms of human rights violations allegedly committed by the Nigerian Military.

The allegations were contained in a report published by an international media organisation, Reuters in 2022.

A member of the seven-man panel chaired by retired Hon. Justice Abdu Aboki, JSC which is investigating the allegations, told Nationwide Reports exclusively on Wednesday, that the response of serving and retired military officers appearing before the panel, has necessitated the need to go back to the communities for further probe.

The panel member requested to remain anonymous because of no authority to speak for the panel but told Nationwide Reports that it was not surprising that all that military personnel that have appeared, have denied that any of such abuses took place, without anyone of them even admitting there was error or omission of any form.

“You know that the military is a strategic and regimented institution. So, we are not really surprised that every one of those invited, have denied, not some, but all the allegations. We have heard some them claiming they never heard or read the Reuters report.

‘However, the panel is determined to get to the root of the issues. Because we are no longer to submit the findings of the panel to the outgoing administration, I think we have time to do a better and more thorough job.

“With the responses so far, we will now go back to the affected communities, engage traditional, religious and other leaders, as well as members of affected villages, engage them one-on-one, to get further insight into the allegations,” the panel member stated.

The source also said that the panel would make sure that all concerned are given the opportunity to appear before it, in order to ensure fair hearing, adding that even Reuters have been invited but refused to appear before the panel.

It would be recalled that Reuters news agency had reported that Nigerian Military forced women to commit 10,000 abortions and willfully killed hundreds of civilians, women and children as well as raped many women while carrying out counter insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.

Following national and international outcry attracted by the report, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), as part of its mandate, in January 2023, set up a seven-man panel chaired by retired Hon. Justice Abdu Aboki, JSC, to investigate the allegations. The committee was inaugurated by the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.

Among top military officers that have appeared before the panel was the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya who vehemently denied all the allegations contained in the Reuters report.

The COAS who was accompanied by many top military officers and his personal aides, was visibly not happy with the Reuters report and said it was unthinkable to suggest that an organized institution like the Nigerian Army, which he said has been in existence for 160 years, could be accused of committing such heinous crimes against citizens of Nigeria that the military was meant to protect.

In the same manner, all the other military officers, most of them Generals, have, one after the other said the military could not commit such heinous crimes against Nigerian people.

Only yesterday, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, General Hassan Umar (rtd), a former Theatre Commander of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, said the Army by training is designed to rescue people in war situation rather than involve itself in allegations of gross Human Rights violation.

He told the panel that the report as published by Reuters contained unfounded allegations, adding that a professional institution like the Nigerian army would not be involved in acts that violate rights of citizens.

Hassan who was General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3 Division Nigerian Army, Jos said that though the allegations by Reuters are very touching, the Army cannot be connected with such acts.

He said- “Never a time did the Nigerian Army experienced what Reuters alleged.”

Gen. Benson Akinroluyo, also a former Theatre Commander who was the first to appear before the panel on Wednesday, said the military while conducting operations is usually specific in target.

He said with Boko Haram, it was face to face battle with the insurgent, adding that military personnel were at more danger because they were the direct targets of the insurgence.

He described as false, Reuters report that said killing of children of Boko Haram fighters as well as abortion of pregnancies suspected to belong to the fighters, were deliberate policy of the military and that it was secret and clandestine, saying that there was no secret in the operations of the military because no action is carried out without order from the hierarchy.

According to Gen. Akinroluyo, every commander has a diary with which actions are recorded.

Earlier on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, General Abdulwahab Eyitayo, serving at the Defense Base, Lugbe and Colonel Yakubu Ibrahim a former Brigade commander in Borno state also appeared before the investigative panel and also denied all the allegations contained in the Reuters report.

Gen. Eyitayo said that the troop under his command in Borno state in 2015 acted professionally in the course of operations, noting that the areas of their operations in places like Kukawa, Konduga and Baga, among others, were far away from residential areas, and that allegations of attacks on civilian could not have arisen.

On his part, Col. Yakubu Ibrahim said he only heard about Reuters report, saying that during his time in the state, the troop under his command did not make use of firepower because they hardly meet the insurgents during clearance operations.

He told the panel that they did not engage in rescuing or managing civilians but only assisted the communities, especially those who did not have food because of the displacements occasioned by the insurgency.

According to him, troop carried out medical outreaches with the assistance of Borno state and non-governmental organisations working in the state and said that they never treated civilian, let alone pregnant women.

He said- “Our area of responsibility is Machina, Nguru, Gasua and one other LGA (with other units) and I have four LGA in my area of responsibility. I did not make use of fire power because at that time “we did not encounter insurgents”.

“I was in New Marte as at 2020 and there were no human beings there except the fighters. In Dikwa there were people there, it is a local government. I had a battalion in Dikwa who made sure insurgents did not infiltrate that town. I visited Dikwa as operations demand”