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REUTERS’ REPORT: EVEN AT GUNPOINT I WON’T  COMMIT ILLEGAL ABORTION, BORNO MEDICAL DONE TELLS NHRC PANEL

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REUTERS’ REPORT: EVEN AT GUNPOINT I WON’T  COMMIT ILLEGAL ABORTION, BORNO MEDICAL DONE TELLS NHRC PANEL

–As Army General reaffirms military’s protection policy for women, children

By: Babagana Wakil

The Borno state Commissioner of Health, Prof. Muhammad Arab has said that he will not compromise the ethics of the medical profession including carrying out illegal abortion even at gunpoint, adding that Reuters’ report is disturbingly false.

According to Prof. Arab who is a Fellow West African College of Physicians, Reuters’ report seeking to indict the state government as an accomplice of Nigeria military in the allegation of abortion of 10,000 pregnancies, massacre of children and other Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) does not hold water since there is no policy of the state that supports illegal abortion.

The Commissioner who is a Consultant Pediatrician said contrary to the report purporting that two state government hospitals; Specialist Hospital Maiduguri and Umar Shehu Ultra-Modern hospitals, Maiduguri were used by the military to carry out abortion, he stated that all the medical facilities in the state are run with the highest level of professional ethics and that all medical records are intact.

He made the testimony before the 7-Member panel chaired by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Abdu Aboki, saying that life is sacred and must be treated accordingly.

The former Chairman Hospital Management Board of Specialist Hospital Maiduguri denied allegation that the state hospitals usually receive corpses of pregnant women who bled to death as a result of illegal termination of pregnancies, saying that even brought-in-dead must be certified and issued death certificate by a doctor before the corpse will be deposited in the hospital.

In the same manner, the Commander of the Nigerian Defense Academy, Major General Ibrahim Manu Yusuf informed the panel that Reuters report was issued with a “malicious intent”, describing it as “untrue”.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/alleged-extra-judicial-killing-petitoner-fails-to-prove-the-identity-of-accused-in-the-death-of-uchenna-emmanuel-says-police/

Continuing, Major General Yusuf who was former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Maiduguri said that at the heat of the insurgency which coincides with the period Reuters’ report is refers, nobody could muster the courage or have the presence of mind to talk about keeping women and girls for the purpose of illegal abortion.

The state Executive Member stated that the premium respect the military has for women and children is so impeachable that it has waived several opportunities to neutralize the insurgents just because they shielded themselves with women and children.

Therefore, he said it defies logic for anyone to believe Reuters’ report which alleged that the military was implementing a programme of abortion, massacre of children and other heartrending gender-based violations between the period of 2013 and 2021.

Similarly, the Consultant orthopedic surgeon, Colonel Stephen Onuchukwu told the panel that it is inconceivable that trained medical officers or military personnel will get involved in secret or illegal abortion.

According to him, soldiers at the frontline do not have the luxury of time to think about how to abort pregnancies or kill children believed to have been fathered by Boko Haram, pointing out that it was the military that rescued most of the Chibok girls that were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 among other rescues.

Also in his oral evidence, the Director Borno state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Abdullahi Suleiman said that the allegation of illegal abortion cannot be proven in the various IDPs camps in the state.

 He stated that SEMA Officials normally coordinate the activities of the camp while development partners like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UNICEF and Civil Society Organisations assist in providing their basic needs like water, food and sanitation.

REUTERS’ REPORT: EVEN AT GUNPOINT I WON’T  COMMIT ILLEGAL ABORTION, BORNO MEDICAL DONE TELLS NHRC PANEL

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Yobe: Member representing Jakusko repairs 250 hand pumps across constituency

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Yobe: Member representing Jakusko repairs 250 hand pumps across constituency

By: Yahaya Wakili

In a bid to alleviate the suffering of water faced by his constituents, Honourable Ya’u Usman Dachia, Deputy Speaker and a member representing Jakusko constituents in the Yobe State House of Assembly, has embarked on a tour for repairs and servicing of 250 handpumps across his constituents. He thanks God, and His Royal Highness, Royal Father, Mai Bade, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Suleiman agreed he gave me the traditional title of Gado Da Masun Bade.

My constituents are the place where they voted me in, and if not because of my constituents, I would not find myself in the Yobe House of Assembly, and I didn’t go there to sit down and parade myself as a leader; I went there to represent my people of Jakusko local government, and everywhere, if they say you are a representative of the people, it’s almost like you are a messenger. After that, there is some responsibility on you to see that your people are enjoying themselves, are in good health, or are living in peace; that is why I am going round my constituents.

 The time I was the chairman of the local government, I knew how I did my job in Jakusko as a chairman. If you met me, you presented your problem of your town or your village. Inshallah, before I go to the office, I will visit the town, and if the town is far, I will go to the office first, and on my way coming back home, I will branch to the town. If they tell me that our borehole has a problem, you, the complainer, before returning back home, will meet the mechanics repairing the borehole.

“The reason for doing these is because the masses, I am fearing, will question you about what you did to your people or why you live while your people are suffering. Alhamdulillah, I saw the impact of doing this. The reason why I say so is, to the best of my knowledge, Jakusko, they present many members, and all of them did only one tenure, but I have been doing it for three times now, and the masses agreed to vote for me, so there is a mature understanding between me and them. They agreed with me, and I, too, agreed with them. I will not agree with what will cheat them.

So I observe that I am in the house of assembly. I sit down with the governor and give him the advice that this is how I want to do it. He agrees, and then I embark on this tour of every village or town, and if there is a hand pump in Jakusko, I assure you I will go stand on it. Even if it is functioning, I will tell the mechanic to check it if there is a problem with the pipe or the pipe is not supplying enough water or has a problem, or if the pipe has become old and needs replacement, we will replace it, and then we will move to the next village. We have about 250 hand pumps in the Jakusko local government, and I assure you that I will repair or service them all. I will not go back to the office until I complete this work.

I started this work two days before Ramadan, and I spent almost the whole month on this tour, and now, immediately after Sallah, I will go back to continue with my work. Alhamdulillah, people understand the impact of it. They reach the level where people from the other village will come and request, Please, sir, live in that one and come and attend to us. We don’t have water.” I will reply to them, No, we are following step by step, line by line. Go and wait for your turn. After we finished our work, we would inform the public that if there is any village that we omit, they should let us know, and we will come back and repair it again.

Yobe: Member representing Jakusko repairs 250 hand pumps across constituency

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Bade, local government chairman, prays for Governor Buni

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Bade, local government chairman, prays for Governor Buni

By Yahaya Wakili

The Executive Chairman of the Bade local government council, Yobe State, Hon. Ibrahim Babagana, has said the entire people of Bade local government will continue to pray to Allah (SWT) to reward His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON (Chiroman Gujba), with Aljannatul Firdaus.

Ibrahim Babagana revealed this to newsmen shortly after the end of the durbar at the emir’s palace at Gashua, the headquarters of the local government council.

He said, We, the entire people of Bade, don’t have anything to tell Chiroman Gujba except to thank him. God reward him and all that a leader is supposed to do for his people. Governor Mai Mala Buni has done for us. He said, first, if you look at roads, the Buni administration has linked all our communities with roads. If you come to market, we have a market even in the northeast; we are proud of it. Nowhere has a standard market like us.

“If we come to primary health care, there is no village or town in Bade local government that doesn’t have a health center, doesn’t have facilities, staff, and even wards; any ward has facilities. On the agriculture front, the Buni administration distributed farm implements to us, such as tractors, fertilizers, seeds, plows, threshers, and other farm implements. We were getting so many things that our masses benefited from it. And all these are courtesy and great achievements of His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni, CON, Chiroman Gujba.

“In fact, between us, the entire people of Bade local government and His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON, continue praying for him. May Allah (SWT) reward him, may Allah reward him with Aljannatul Firdaus, and may Allah accept our prayers. Amen. And what remains to us, we the masses, is only loyalty, support, and cooperation with Buni’s administration.

Hon. Ibrahim Babagana said a visionary leader has done his own part; he solved all our problems and our entitlements, he fulfilled all his campaign promises to the people, and what remains is for us to follow him 100% and continue praying for him. May Allah continue to guide him and complete his tenure successfully, and may Allah guide him to bring a good successor who will continue from where he stopped.

Therefore, my appeal to the people is to be loyal always and always accept what God brings us. All that God designs, nobody can change it, and anything Allah did to you, if you say you didn’t agree, you must suffer. Therefore, we, the people of the Bade local government area, are together with His Excellency. Governor Mai Mala Buni CON Chiroman Gujba.

At the durbar, Babagana said, The Bade emirate council organized a durbar to celebrate the Sallah festivities, and there are so many cultural heritage and dances on display, and in the whole Yobe state, there is no other emirate that organized Sallah festivities on day one and day two and concluded with a durbar like the Bade emirate council. This is a proud moment for me and for the entire people of the Bade local government generally.

He further said on the first day, His Royal Father came and sat down, and thousands of people performed cultural heritage dances in different colors, and on day two, they set up a committee to organize a competition on horse racing. During the competition, they got first, second, and third positions, where His Royal Highness was sitting watching, which was very interesting. It was something for motivation to improve the cultural heritage of the Bade local government, and people supported it.

Bade, local government chairman, prays for Governor Buni

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Remnant IED Explosion Injures One in Borno

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Remnant IED Explosion Injures One in Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion occurred in Meleri Village, Damboa Local Government Area, on April 4, 2025, leaving one person injured.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that one Alhaji Sanda, a resident of Hansari IDP Camp, and Bulama Zarayye, aged 40, were collecting baobab tree seeds when Zarayye accidentally stepped on an IED.

The device, believed to have been planted by ISWAP, exploded, causing injuries to Zarayye’s buttock, right hand, and lap.

A combined security team, including the Military and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) unit, was promptly dispatched to the scene.

The area was cordoned off, and a search for additional explosive devices was conducted, but no further devices were found.

Zarayye was taken to the General Hospital in Damboa, where he is currently receiving treatment and is reported to be in stable condition.

Remnant IED Explosion Injures One in Borno

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