The United Nations (UN) spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Friday said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed Nigerian authorities to investigate allegations of systemic and coerced abortions by the Nigerian army.
On Wednesday, a Reuters report claimed that the Nigerian Army had been running a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the country’s northeast since at least 2013.
According to statements from 33 women and girls, five health workers, and nine security personnel involved in the alleged programme, and documentation reviewed by Reuters, the programme involved terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls, many of whom had been kidnapped and raped by Islamist militants.
“The Secretary-General takes note with concern of the allegations of systemic and coerced abortions reportedly perpetrated by the Nigerian Army against women and girls who had already been victimized by Boko Haram,” the UN spokesman Dujarric said in an email to Reuters.
He called for more investigation into the matter and also appealed for immediate remedial actions and accountability measures, if such measures were necessary.
“We call on the Nigerian authorities to fully investigate these allegations and make sure there’s accountability,” the UN spokesman told reporters late on Friday.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said he Washington government was deeply troubled.
The spokesperson said the US embassy in Abuja is seeking further information, including from the Nigerian government and stakeholders working in the space. He said the Biden administration has encouraged the government of Nigeria to take the allegations seriously and to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the matter.
On Thursday, Nigeria’s defence chief said the military will not investigate the report, saying it was not true. The Nigerian government has not responded officially responded to the Reuters report.
Nigeria’s Information Minister Lai Mohammed is yet to comment on the UN call for an investigation.
