Report: Nigerian Army Massacred Children In Its Anti-Terror War

    Photo: BBC

    The Facts

    • A Reuters report published on Tuesday, based on eyewitness accounts, claims that the Nigerian military deliberately massacred children in its fight against the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram in the country's northeast.

    • Citing more than 40 soldiers and civilians, Reuters found that 60 children had allegedly been killed in six specific incidents, with the last occurring in February 2021. The witnesses' collective accounts add up to thousands of children allegedly killed, though Reuters was unable to independently verify all the estimates.


    The Spin

    Establishment-critical narrative

    Reuters continues to peddle false reports and defamatory narratives against Nigeria. Western media is trying to undermine Nigerian efforts to fight terrorism in order to promote instability in the country. Reuters even admits that it can't verify its claims — it should be ashamed of such disgraceful "reporting."

    Pro-establishment narrative

    There is credible evidence that the Nigerian army is conducting systematic mass killings of children and forcing women to have illegal abortions. These are absolutely heinous acts that Nigeria must not ignore and which need to be investigated immediately. If the reports prove accurate, the international community must hold the Nigerian government accountable.

    Nerd narrative

    There is a 50% chance that at least 15 Islamic State attacks will occur in at-risk Nigerian states between Sept., 17, 2021, and Sept., 17, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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