Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff offers amnesty to soldiers to testify before Panel on alleged forced abortions, other violations in North East military operations

The Nigerian Army has offered to grant immunity and amnesty to any soldier that is ready to appear before the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency in the North East.

Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor said any soldier that is ready to appear before the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency in the North East to testify against the military on allegations contained in the reports by Reuters news agency December 2022 and April 2023. 

General Lucky Irabor said the allegations by Reuters that the military had a deliberate policy that led to over 10,000 illegal and forced women rescued from Boko Haram and others that escaped from the insurgents.

He challenged Reuters to disclose the identities of the soldiers said to have given such information, adding that he has granted express amnesty to such soldiers as well as immunity from sanctions and prosecution.

Irabor there described the allegations contained in the Reuters reports, including the deliberate killing of civilians and children as false.

The Special Independent Investigative Panel investigating had on Thursday adjourned its sitting to Friday to enable the military to have the opportunity to defend themselves against the allegation.