Call on ICC to probe Nigeria war crimes

Boko Haram

Boko Haram. File photo

from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
ABUJA, (CAJ News) THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has been urged to investigate the atrocities committed by the Boko Haram and the military during the decade-long conflict in northeast Nigeria.

An estimated 30 000 people have been killed since the Boko Haram initiated a campaign to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic State.

More than three million other people have been displaced by Boko Haram activities nationwide (Migeria) and the West African regional bloc.

Thousands have been abducted, many of whom have been forcibly recruited as child soldiers or subjected to forced marriages and sexual slavery.

On the other hand, Nigerian security forces have allegedly committed extrajudicial killings, mass arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, leading to thousands of deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and other crimes including rape and sexual violence.

Amnesty International decried that victims of the crimes had been waiting for justice for more than a decade.

“The delay has gone on for far too long. The ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) needs to do what is right for victims of these horrific crimes,” said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International’s Advocacy and Research Director.

The OTP opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Nigeria in 2010.

It is yet to decide whether to open an investigation into the crisis.

The Government has made minimal investigations or prosecutions of crimes by Boko Haram.

– CAJ News

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