Politics
THE Nigerian Coalition for the International Criminal Court, ICC, a civil society concerned with the advocacy for the domestication of the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute, on Tuesday, charged the court’s prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to engage the visiting President Muhammadu Buhari, on the continued killings in Nigeria.
The coalition also asked the ICC’s prosecutor to engage Buhari on the alleged non-accountability on the part of the country’s security agencies, while also calling on the Nigerian government to join in the fight against impunity and domesticate the Rome Statute.
Buhari had traveled to the ICC in The Hague on Sunday for the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the court through its Rome Statute.
The NCICC, in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Mr. Chinonye Obiagwu; and its Vice Chairman, Dr. Abiola Akiode -Afolabi, congratulated the court, which they said needed to be supported in the face of rising global violations of human rights.
The coalition noted that Nigeria had yet to domesticate the Rome Statute, despite being under the ICC’s preliminary examination due to the armed conflict between Boko Haram and Nigerian security agencies and different crimes committed in the Niger-Delta region.
While calling on the ICC’s prosecutor to seize the opportunity of Buhari’s attendance at the court’s 20th anniversary to engage the President on the continued killings in the country, the NCICC also asked the Nigerian government to domesticate the Rome Statute and prosecute those involved in “the gross and frequent violations”.
The statement read in part, “The NCICC emphasise that in the rise of global violations of humanitarian laws and human rights. there is no better time to support the International Criminal Court than now.
“To ensure a more just world, it is important for states to foster cooperation with the ICC by domesticating and implementing the Rome Statute’s provision of complementarity in their national legislation and prosecute international crimes committed within their territory.
“Despite Nigeria being listed as a preliminary examination country due to the armed conflict between Boko Haram and Nigerian securities and different crimes committed in the Niger Delta region, the country continues to face more violations of human right and crimes violating international law.
“It is imperative at this time for the Nigerian government to stand up for justice, domesticate the Rome Statute and prosecute these gross and frequent violations.
“As President Buhari attends the event of the Rome Statute at 20, we urge the ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda to engage the president on the continued killing in the North-Central and North East region and the non-accountability on the part of the state security.” – Punch
– Jul. 17, 2018 @ 17:35 GMT |
Tags: coalition tells ICC Engage Buhari over continued killings impunity
