Infanticide: ‘ your fictitious report or face legal action’, MWSN warns Reuters
The Military Writers Society of Nigeria (MWSN) has condemned the Report by Reuters and gave the media organization a 14-day ultimatum to retract the report or face legal action.
The Association gave the ultimatum in a press statement signed by its president Lawrence Bilal Audu on Saturday in Abuja.
They viewed with great dismay the subversive activities of Reuters News Agency in Nigeria, particularly in its report, which alleged, without proof, that the Armed Forces of Nigerian AFN has been carrying out infanticides since it began its counter-terrorism operations against the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast of the county.
“We call on Reuters to retract that fictitious report which remains a figment of their imagination, within 14 days, after which legal action would be instituted to tarnish the Nigerian military’s image.
Reuters had accused the Nigerian military of running a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the country’s North East terminating at least 12,000 pregnancies among women and girls. Many children were shot, poisoned, suffocated or run down by vehicles in army-led actions.
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The report also alleged that soldiers selected babies and toddlers for killing after rescuing them and their mothers from Islamist militants, amongst other weighty concocted allegations.
According to Reuters, the fundamental motive for supposedly carrying out the abortions was allegedly the notion that the children of Islamist militants, because of the blood in their veins, would one day follow in their father’s footsteps and take up arms against the Nigerian state.
MWSN said the allegation is false, misleading, and a ploy to tarnish the good image of the Nigerian military and Nigeria.
The Association called on the federal government of Nigeria to checkmate the international news agency for trying to frustrate the military’s efforts in combating insurgency and other criminal activities.
Infanticide: Retract your fictitious report or face legal action, MWSN warns Reuters
