ICC prosecutor seeks investigation into abduction of Nigerian school children

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking authorisation from the Pre-Trial Chamber of the court to open an investigation into cases of abduction of schoolchildren in several parts of Northern Nigeria, closure of schools in the region, and the persistent failure of the government both at the federal and state levels to end the abductions.

The decision comes after a petition was sent to the court by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

The development was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.

SERAP had in the petition dated September 4, 2021, urged the ICC prosecutor, Mr Karim A. A. Khan, to “push for those suspected to be responsible and complicit in the commission of these serious crimes, to be invited and tried by the ICC.”

In the petition, SERAP argued that the severe and lifelong harms that result from depriving children of the right to education satisfy the gravity of harm threshold under the Rome Statute.

SERAP’s petition read: “Senior government officials know well or ought to know that their failure to prevent these crimes will violate the children’s human rights and dignity.

“The absence of any tangible and relevant investigation or prosecution in Nigeria suggests that the authorities are unwilling or unable to carry out genuine investigation or prosecution of those suspected to be responsible for and complicit in the abduction of students.

“The consequences of persistent abductions of students, closure of schools, and the failure to provide safe and enabling learning environments despite federal and state authorities yearly budgeting some N241.2 billion of public funds as “security votes”, are similar to those of the offences in article 7(1).

More than 10,000 schools have been reportedly closed in at least seven northern states over the fear of attack and abduction of pupils and members of staff. The states are Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Niger and Yobe.”

The petition continued, “Among the string of abductions in Zamfara was the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in the town of Jangebe in February. The latest abduction comes after widespread reports of abduction of students and closure of schools in many states of Nigeria, including in north-central Niger State where some 91 schoolchildren were abducted.

An estimated 1.3 million Nigerian children have been affected by frequent raids on schools by suspected terrorists. Some 13 million Nigerian children are out of school nationwide. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 1,000 students have been abducted from schools in northern Nigeria since December 2020.

“Families and parents have reportedly resulted to paying the terrorists thousands of dollars as ransom to secure the release of their children. An estimated $18.34 million was reportedly paid in ransoms between June 2011 and the end of March 2020.

Nigerian authorities have also failed and/or neglected to satisfactorily address the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014, which prompted the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. According to reports, more than 100 of those girls are still missing.”

Responding to the petition, Khan in a letter with reference number OTP-CR-363/21, and dated 22 October 2021 confirmed to SERAP that “the criteria for opening an investigation into a string of abductions and closure of schools in some parts of Nigeria have been met.”

The letter signed on the prosecutor’s behalf by the Head of the Information and Evidence Unit, Mark P. Dillon, read in part: “On behalf of the Prosecutor, I thank you for your communication received on 13/09/2021, as well as any subsequent related information.

The preliminary examination of the petition is considered complete. Under Article 53 of the Rome Statute, the next step in the judicial process is for the Prosecutor’s Office to prepare and submit a request to the Pre-Trial Chamber for authorisation to open an investigation on Nigeria.

“Once submitted, the request will be made publicly available on the Court’s website: www.icccpi.int. Your communication will be forwarded to the relevant team to be analysed, together with other related communications and other available information, in the context of any future investigations. We thank you for your interest in the ICC.”

Remarking to the development, Oluwadare said the ICC prosecutor has taken a significant step toward ensuring that those suspected to be responsible for the grave crimes against Nigerian schoolchildren are exposed, and held to account.

The victims of these crimes deserve justice. Impartial justice and reparation will deal a decisive blow to the impunity of perpetrators, and improve access of Nigerian children to education. SERAP will work closely with the ICC to achieve these important objectives,” he said.

SERAP urges ICC to declare students’ abductions crime against humanity

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) calling on the body to declare the incessant abductions of school children in the Northern parts of Nigeria, especially Zamfara State, as crimes against humanity.

SERAP also asked the ICC to investigate the closure of schools, and the persistent failure of Nigerian authorities at both the Federal and State levels, “to end the abductions considered as crimes against humanity within the jurisdiction of the ICC.”

In the petition signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawale Oluwadare, dated September 4, and addressed to the QC, Prosecutor at the ICC, Karim A. A. Khan, the organisation urged the ICC to push for those suspected to be responsible and complicit in the commission of those serious crimes to be invited and tried.

The petition came following a string of abductions and closure of schools in parts of Nigeria, including the recent closure of schools in Zamfara State, after 73 students were abducted by bandits at the Government Secondary School, Kaya, in Maradun Local Government Area of the state.

Depriving children their right to education has severe consequences for their ability to access their fundamental rights,” the petition reads in part.

“The severe and lifelong harms that result from depriving children of the right to education satisfy the gravity of harm threshold under the Rome Statute.

“Investigating and declaring cases of abduction of Nigerian students and closure of schools, and the failure by the Nigerian authorities to provide safe and enabling learning environments as crimes against humanity would help to combat impunity, deter future human rights abuses, and improve access of the children to education.

The crime of abduction is not just a deprivation of a single fundamental human right, but a wholesale effort to re-engineer society and to deny children, including girls their human dignity and agency in all aspects of their lives.

“The persistent failure by Nigerian authorities to end the widespread and systemic abductions, and to provide safe and enabling learning environments for Nigerian children to enjoy their right to quality education amounts to crimes against humanity, which fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC.”

SERAP, therefore urged Khan, among others, to urgently commence an investigation proprio motu on the widespread and systematic problem of abductions of Nigerian students.


Zamfara: Declare abduction of students a crime against humanity, SERAP tells ICC
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Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned Mr Karim A. A. Khan, QC, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), urging him “to investigate the growing cases of abduction of students in several parts of Northern Nigeria, closure of schools, and the persistent failure of Nigerian authorities at both the federal and state levels to end the abduction as amo…
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Calling for ICC prosecution of ex-service chiefs is unpatriotic – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Tuesday, described Nigerians calling for the probe of the immediate past service chiefs before the International Criminal Court (ICC) as “unpatriotic.”Speaking during a Radio Nigeria programme, Politics Nationwide, the Information Minister stated that “our service chiefs obey the rules of engagement.”“To the best of my knowledge, our service chiefs obey the rules of engagement and where there are infractions, there are internal regulations and internal mechanisms to address them.

“Those who are calling for the ex-service chiefs to be invited to ICC are unpatriotic people.“Those who talk about the structure, what do they know about the structure of the military? I don’t think any of us is competent to talk about the structure of the military.”President Muhammadu Buhari had last week approved the appointments of new Service Chiefs with the resignation of the military heads.The president announced the appointed four new service chiefs; Major-General Lucky E.O Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff, Air-Vice Marshal Ishiaka Oladayo Amao, Chief of Air Staff.The past service heads were Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.Many Nigerians have been calling for the prosecution of the former service chiefs, especially Lt. Gen Buratai for what they said we’re crimes against humanity.

Ex-CAR militia commander appears before ICC, for alleged war crimes, refuses to speak

Former Central African Republic militia commander, Mahamat Said Abdel Kani appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the first time on Friday to answer for alleged crimes against humanity.

However, the alleged leader of Séléka, a largely Muslim rebel coalition who was handed over to the ICC on Sunday after his arrest in the Bria region of CAR, told the court that he’ll not make any comments for the time being.

“I will be silent for now and express myself when the time comes,” said Mr Kani, appearing by video link from the ICC’s detention centre because of coronavirus restrictions.

“I am not yet very fully informed of my rights. I am aware that as a suspect I am presumed innocent,” Kani added.

The militia commander allegedly committed the crimes in 2013 in the capital, Bangui, following the overthrow of President François Bozizé.

Thousands of people died in the ensuing violence that followed between the rebels and Christian militias in the country.

Probe ‘atrocities, crimes against humanity’ under tenure of ex-service chiefs, PDP urges ICC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to commence the investigation of the tenure of the outgoing service chiefs over reported atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by security operatives under their command.

The PDP also calls on the INTERPOL and other world bodies to commence processes that will lead to the prosecution as well as firm sanctions, including travel ban and freezing of assets belonging to all those involved in killings and human right abuses by security operatives under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

In a statement on Wednesday by is spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said:

“With the exit of the accused service chiefs from office, the PDP charges ICC’s Chief Prosecutor, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, to issue official warrant in line with the court’s earlier declaration that it has enough evidence to open a full probe on alleged crimes against humanity under the outgoing commanders.”

It asked the ICC to probe “cases of extra-judicial execution of innocent Nigerians, massacre of peaceful protesters, illegal arrests and arbitrary detention of citizens in dehumanizing cells, torture and rape allegedly committed by the military under the outgoing commanders, as detailed in the reports of credible international bodies including the United States Department of State, Amnesty International (AI) and Transparency International (TI).”

The PDP added that the exiting service chiefs must be made to provide answers for the reported massacre of unarmed protesters by the military in the North-West and South-East states between 2015 and 2018, including the 348 civilians reportedly killed by soldiers in Kaduna state as well as the 347 bodies found in mass graves in the aftermath of the Zaria massacre.

“The ICC is further called upon to investigate reports of military invasion and mass shooting in communities in Borno, Yobe, Rivers, Abia, Anambra among other states where soldiers reportedly killed unarmed civilians, razed communities, burnt homes, displaced inhabitants, raped women, detained, beat up and tortured citizens in detention camps reportedly located in military barracks where deadly fumigation chemicals were allegedly used in overcrowded cells.

“Our party further implores the ICC to investigate the reported inhuman detention of thousands of Nigerian children by military operatives in the northeast camps particularly between 2017, when more than 1,600 children were reported to have been in illegal detention in cages and 2018, when the UN detailed 418 detained children. This is in addition to the no fewer than 1000 children reportedly released under negotiation by the UN in 2016.

“Also our party stands with Nigerians in demanding for a full scale investigation into the deployment of the military in the EndSARS protests, resulting in the shooting and killing of unarmed civilians at Lekki Toll gate in Lagos and other parts of the country,” PDP said.

The party had earlier on Tuesday, after President Muhammadu Buhari announced the appointment of new service chiefs, demanded for an immediate inquest into the tenure of the former service chiefs.