Reuters Report: Yobe Specialist Hospital Denies Record of Abortion Assaults

 

By Nurat Uthman

The Borno State Specialist Hospital said it did not record any sign of sexual assaults among women and girls handed over to them by soldiers after their rescue from the frontline of counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria’s North East.

The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Aisha Adamu Buba disclosed this at the facility to the Chairman and members of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency Operations in North East Nigeria.

She said, “I have never heard of Reuters’ report.”

The CMD told the 7-Member panel chaired by Justice Abdu Aboki that the hospital under her watch offers first aid services to returnees and those that require referrals are sent to other hospitals to manage severe cases such as fractures.

Responding to a question by the general counsel on the panel, Hilary Ogbonna, about the usage of prescription drugs like oxytocin and misoprostol, the obstetrician-gynaecologist said the hospital uses such drugs strictly on doctor’s prescription.

He added that the Hospital runs clinical services and conducts a few deliveries totalling about 248 per annum.

In the same manner, other key staff of the hospital gave their oral evidence before the panel thereby corroborating the testimony of the CMD that the hospital maintains a high level of professionalism among the various professionals working in the hospital.

Other personnel of the Hospital who testified before the visiting investigative panel are the Head of the Pharmacy department, Modi Ali Gambo, the Head of the Nursing Services department, Abdullahi Madu Bririma, Head Laboratory Services department Abdullahi Ago and the Mortician, Adamu Haruna.

This statement is coming in response to a report by an international news agency, Reuters that alleged late last year in its three-part report that the Nigerian military since 2013 was involved in a secret, systematic and illegal abortion of 10,000 pregnancies, infanticide and other forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence while fighting insurrection in the North East.

It is likely to spark further debates about the claims made by Reuters which have been denied by the Nigerian military.

The investigative panel is expected to continue to gather evidence and testimony on this matter in the coming weeks.