, the Nigerian military has carried out a covert, organized, and illegal abortion program in the nation's northeast since at least 2013, 

ending at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls.

Islamist extremists had kidnapped and sexually assaulted many of them. When rescued by the military, the unwanted "terrorist babies" were seen as a potential threat for the future of the Nigerian government. Hence, the mass abortions started. 

Witnesses claim that those who refused to comply with the abortions were beaten, detained at gunpoint, or drugged.

According to the witness reports, the abortions were typically performed without the person's consent and frequently even their knowledge. Interviews and documents revealed that the pregnant women and girls ranged in age, with some being as young as 12 years old.

There hasn't been any prior information about the abortion program run by the army. 

Women who refused were occasionally assaulted, caned, detained at gunpoint, or drugged into submission. 

According to a guard and a health worker, several people were restrained by ties or pins while having abortion medications injected into them.

Conflict has forced more than two million people to flee northeast Nigeria since 2009. Source: AFP

Some abortions took tragic lives both within military facilities and out in the field. Four soldiers and two security officers reported seeing women die from abortions or seeing their corpses later. 

In northeast Nigeria, where a 13-year battle between the federal government and Islamist extremists is raging, women and girls are imprisoned. 

A blast that took at least 21 lives in the capital of Abuja, 2014. Source: Reuters

According to the UN and human rights organizations, at least 300,000 people have perished since the conflict started, some through violence and many more from malnutrition and illness. 

The northeast, a region of semi-arid savannahs, dense woodland, and floodplains, was formerly referred to as the country's breadbasket. But as the conflict continued, it descended into widespread famine and economic ruin, leading to a large-scale exodus and what the UN has dubbed one of the worst humanitarian crises in history.

The idea that the children of rebels are predetermined, by the blood in their veins, to one day take up guns against the Nigerian government and society is central to the abortion program and is shared by some citizens in the northeast. 

The program is meant to eliminate potential insurgency fighters before they were even born.

The scheme was for the "benefit of the women and any children they might have who would not have to deal with the stigma of having an insurgent father". 

Pregnant former insurgent prisoners are routinely taken in trucks under military supervision, sometimes in convoys, to barracks or hospitals across the northeast for abortions, according to the sources who spoke to Reuters about the intricately planned operation.

The south of Nigeria, which is a culturally conservative region, has made abortion illegal. Anyone found guilty of taking part in an abortion can be charged with a felony and sentenced to up to 14 years in jail.

The Nigerian military's code of conduct prohibits the mistreatment or execution of pregnant women, therefore forced abortions may be in violation of this rule. According to legal experts, forced abortions could be considered torture and subject to punishment as such.

The majority of the women who were interviewed claimed that no justification was offered for the injections and medications they were given. Women were allegedly forcibly forced to take medicine or have surgical abortions, according to four troops, guards, and one medical professional. They were sedated and restrained if they resisted giving their permission.

A Nigerian soldier stands next to liberated girls. Source: Reuters

Some soldiers and guards said that their female coworkers battered women into submission and that some women sobbed while getting forced abortions.

A cry followed by silence: Hafsat's story

A girl named Hafsat was one of those made to get an abortion against their will.

A soldier who was there that day reported that she arrived at an army camp in March 2019 as a slender teen, about the age of 14 or 15, wearing a turquoise outfit and covered with insect bites.

The soldier claimed he and other soldiers administered oxytocin injections to them.The soldier claimed that after hearing cries for an hour, he turned to find Hafsat bleeding profusely between her legs. To stop the blood, he grabbed her a cloth.

She just went quiet, maybe a half-hour later, he added. "She died,"

The soldier claimed that he and his companions burried her after wrapping her in her turquoise garment. He can't shake the memory.

A second soldier at the base, who claimed to have also seen the girl's abortion and death, corroborated the details of the first soldier's statement.

The Nigerian military wants to be viewed as a protector of the people, but by executing a secret mass abortion program, they have proven to be just as violent and oppressive as the very terrorists they are trying to fight. 

But they have taken the lives of innocent unborn babies, who had no say in the matter, and have forced the mothers to bear the burden of the consequences. They do so in the most brutal way, traumatizing the girls and even killing others. 

The abortion program was not only an inhumane violation of human rights but it was also completely unnecessary. 

The Nigerian military should have taken steps to ensure the safety and well-being of the mothers and their unborn children, rather than resorting to such a barbaric solution. They should have provided resources and support for the mothers, such as medical care, counseling, and economic assistance. 

They also shown a lack of respect for the religious beliefs of the people of Nigeria. In many instances, the abortion program was carried out without the consent of the families involved, and was done in a manner that was contrary to the religious beliefs of many Nigerians. This is especially egregious in a country with such a strong religious culture, and is a clear violation of religious freedom. 

In addition to being morally wrong, they have also caused significant harm to the country. The abortion program has left a lasting impression on the citizens of Nigeria, and it has tarnished the reputation of the military. It has also created an atmosphere of distrust and fear, with many Nigerians now questioning the motives of the military. 

The Nigerian military must also take responsibility for their actions and take steps to rebuild the trust of the people they are supposed to be protecting. Otherwise, they will continue to be viewed as a force of oppression and violence, rather than a force for good.

The Nigerian military's secret policies of mass abortions came out:

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