By Raphael Ekpang
Following the perceived credibility of Reuters, international media outfit, the management of Yobe State University Teaching Hospital has expressed doubt if Reuters’ report alleging grievous human rights violations against the Nigerian military in the aftermath of its counter insurgency operation in the North East, Nigeria was actually true.
The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Baba Waru Goni who was full of surprise that an international media organisation like Reuters could descend so low to misleading the public with it’s cooked report, told the Chairman and members of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violation in Counter Insurgency Operations in the North East (SIIP-NE) when the later visited the Hospital that, “I will take the allegation with a pinch of salt”.
Meanwhile, the international media organization had in December 2022 published a three-part report alleging 10,000 abortion of pregnancies, massive killing of children and deliberate violation of rights of women and girls by the Nigerian Armed Forces since 2013.
But, the CMD while appearing before the 7-Member panel chaired by Justice Abdu Aboki (rtd) said that the Hospital has been enjoying a harmonious relationship with the military and that most of the patients that are brought to the facility by soldiers are usually injured military personnel from the frontline and not women and children.
In the same vein, other medical personnel including HOD Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Amina Waziri Bello, Head of Pharmacy department, Pharm. Sale Abubakar Maidede, HOD Nursing Services Idris Usman and HOD Histopathology and overseer of the Hospital Morgue, Hanatu David who also appeared before the panel corroborated the position of the CMD.
The aforesaid hospital staff, however, noted that the various departments carry out their duties in line with their professional ethics and would not have collaborated with the military to carry out illegal abortions as alleged by Reuters.
Responding to how prescription drugs like oxytocin and misoprostol are used in the Hospital the HOD Pharmacy said that such drugs are controlled and they could only be issued upon request by a certified medical doctor and channeled through the appropriate Hospital Porter to the Obstetrics and Gynecology department where they are usually needed for medical abortions only.
The General counsel and Secretary of the panel, Mr. Hilary Ogbonna who led the said medical personnel in their oral testimonies before the panel expressed concern that serious attention might not have been paid to cause of death in the mortuary record pointing out that such omission could make the work of the panel more challenging.
