Nigeria: Military Denies Allegations of Forced Abortion of 'Boko Haram' Pregnancies
allAfricaDec 06, 2022
The Facts
According to a Reuters investigation — which included interviews with 33 women and girls, five healthcare workers, and nine security personnel — the Nigerian military carried out a forced abortion operation in the country's northeast from 2013 to at least last November.
The report claims the victims had been kidnapped and raped by Islamist Boko Haram militants. It adds that at least 10k abortions were performed throughout the program, ending pregnancies ranging from a few weeks to eight months along and mostly without the woman's consent or prior knowledge.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While Nigeria works to defend its people against the horrific terrorist acts committed by Boko Haram, Reuters decided to write a defamatory piece attacking the very military that has devoted years to saving women and children from this group. Nigerian soldiers haven't taken children's lives but rather saved hundreds of those born in enemy territory just in the last few months alone.
Establishment-critical narrative
Details regarding this abortion program didn't come out of thin air but directly from both the female victims and military perpetrators themselves. The harrowing report depicts a large-scale abuse of human rights, and, if verified, swift action must be taken to hold those responsible accountable.