Boko Haram: U.S. Military Asks Buhari Regime to Investigate Soldiers Involved in Killing of Children
Boko Haram: U.S. Military Asks Buhari Regime to Investigate Soldiers Involved in Killing of Children
The United States military has asked the Muhammadu Buhari regime to investigate a Reuters report indicting the Nigerian Army on the killing of children in its fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the northeastern part of the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, the U.S. military said it was concerned by the allegations against the Nigerian military over the alleged killing and inhuman act.
“The Department of Defense is concerned by the allegations reported in the Reuters article, and we join our colleagues from the State Department in urging the Government of Nigeria to conduct an independent investigation,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in the statement.
The spokesperson added that the U.S. military had no planned or scheduled meetings with the Nigerian armed forces or leadership at this week’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.
A latest undercover investigation carried out by Reuters revealed at least 40 soldiers said they witnessed the Nigerian military kill children or saw children’s corpses after a military operation.
Some parents have also claimed that they had been left in agony because their children were taken by the military and never returned with many of them saying they are not sure whether their long-missing kids were dead or alive.
This came barely a few days that the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, condemned an existing secret abortion operation being run by the Nigerian military for female victims by the insurgents.
Reuters had unravelled how, over the years, thousands of women and young girls were kidnapped, raped and frequently drugged by Islamic terrorists ravaging the northeastern part of the country.
The report also revealed how the military had forcibly terminated at least 10,000 pregnancies of women and young ladies to stop the birth of children of Islamic militants, fearing that the babies might grow to take up arms against Nigeria in future or become a stigma to their families.
The secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme has been running since at least 2013, according to documents and interviews reviewed by the international news agency.
Sources interviewed by the International media organisation said the victims were asked at times if they wanted an abortion, but the investigation could not determine how many gave their consent.
At least 33 victims were reportedly identified.
The Nigerian military has long claimed it was rehabilitating the women and children scattered in different makeshift camps across the troubled region.
It had, however, denied the report, describing it as false.
“Nigerian military personnel have been raised, bred and further trained to protect lives, even at their own risk, especially when it concerns the lives of children, women and the elderly,” defence spokesman Jimmy Akpor said in a statement to the media.
