The Federal Government says the Reuter’s report that Nigerian military conducted secret mass abortion programme in war against Boko Haram is fake news, disinformation, and a ploy to demoralise and distract the fighting forces.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said this at the 10th edition of the (PMB) Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023) in Abuja on Monday.

Reuters, in the report, had said since 2013, the Nigerian military conducted a secret and illegal abortion programme in the North-East, ending at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls

Mohammed said the report was also a strategy to set the world against Nigeria and cut off the support that is critical to crushing terrorists.

The minister said the news agency made the allegation without a scintilla of evidence, citing only anonymous sources and the reported review of phantom ‘documents’.

He said: “The agency claimed that its investigation was based on interviews with 33 women and girls.

“How do they use interview with 33 women and girls to arrive at the bogus claim of 10,000 abortions?

“And in a further indication that the figure of abortions quoted was arbitrary or possibly conjured, the agency first put the figure at 12,000 before settling for 10,000.”

Mohammed reiterated the Federal Government’s position that there was no “secret, systematic, and illegal abortion programme” being run by the military in the North-East or anywhere across the country.

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He queried the  basis for the so-called investigation at a time the military had been recording successes decimating the terrorists and rescuing abducted persons.

The minister further queried the basis for the story when the military had been receiving hundreds of thousands of terrorists who have surrendered.

According to the minister, in 2022 alone, the Nigerian military rescued 11 Chibok girls with all their children, 2,018 other persons (comprising 339 adult males, 660 adult females and 1019 children).

He said 82,645 persons, comprising 16,621 male fighters, 24,638 women, and 41,386 children, have surrendered.

Mohammed said the military had also neutralised 494 terrorists  excluding terrorists neutralised through airstrikes and terrorists’ infighting.

“Why is this news agency not playing up these positive news but instead chose to give prominence to a phantom abortion story?” minister added.

Mohammed said the Federal Government has given its military a clean bill of health over the allegations, stressing that they had served meritoriously at home, and at regional and global peacekeeping operations from 1960 to date.

“We know that military operations in the Northeast are not arbitrary but based on the military’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Rules of Engagement (ROE), among others.

“Where any proven infraction or criminal act has been committed by any.soldier, the law has always taken its course.

“But it is beyond the pale and downright dangerous to accuse a nation’s military, without any verifiable evidence, of massive illegal abortions and infacticide,” he said.

The Star