Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has hailed the outcome of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter Insurgency in the North East.
The panel’s report had exonerated the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) from indictments by the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC) and Reuters regarding allegations on forceful abortions and other infractions in the North East.
The report of the panel had specifically stated that the allegations of systematic abortions, torture, rape and extra judicial killings levelled against the AFN were false.
The CDS therefore commended the 7- man panel led by Justice Abdu Aboki (rtd) for painstakingly carrying out a thorough job since its inauguration in March 2023 by the Nigerian Human Rights Commission.
General Musa, in a statement by Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, seized the opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) to the defence of human rights and ensure that peace reigns in the country.
According to the statement: “No amount of false accusations will distract the AFN from exercising its constitutional mandate of protecting the territorial integrity of the nation.”