CDS rubbishes Reuters report on mass abortion by military
Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has rubbished reports by Reuters of a mass abortion programme in the Nigerian military.
Irabor, who was speaking with newsmen at the 61st session of the State House ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday, described the report as “outright nonsense.”
He added: “That is outright nonsense. Their allusion is news to me. It never occurred. I never saw anything like that from Maiduguri down to Maimalamari Cantonment where I lived. That is a major hospital for our personnel and their family. I am disappointed to say the least. So it is not true.
“I was informed by the Director of Defense Information about a mail from Reuters requesting an interview with me. And he gave me a letter written by one Alexander making allegations that have now been published by Reuters.
“I simply said he should go back to the person and answer their questions but I’m not going to dignify such a report.
“You’re saying the military since 2013 has been engaged in a planned abortion programme and he said that is part of the government’s design. In that letter, he said that 12,000 abortions have been conducted. But in the published report, we saw ‘at least 10,000’.”
Reuters in its report published on Wednesday said over 10,000 abortions were carried out on women who were kidnapped and raped by Boko Haram terrorists since 2013.
