Amnesty International invites International Criminal Court to immediately begin an investigation into crimes being committed by the Nigeria Government

Amnesty International has invited the International Criminal Court to immediately begin an investigation into crimes being committed by the Nigeria Government.

Amnesty International while reacting to the publication of the annual report of the Prosecutor of the ICC on preliminary examinations, which sets out the work of the ICC over the last year looking at countries around the world where crimes may have been committed to decide whether to open investigations, Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director, said that an ICC investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in North-East Nigeria is now inevitable.    

The ICC had released its 2019 report on preliminary examinations. The ICC prosecutor said it is losing patience with the failure of the Nigerian Government to investigate and prosecute those responsible for crimes committed by different insurgent groups in the country.  

AI, stressing the need for investigation in Nigeria, lamented that the government was not keen on delivering justice.

Belay said, “The prosecutor has also confirmed that she will make a final decision in 2020 on whether to proceed to investigate specific crimes.  

“Should Nigerian authorities fail to demonstrate tangible steps to fulfil their obligations, she will be bound to proceed towards a full investigation.  

“Victims have been waiting for justice for over 10 years. Nigeria has already demonstrated that it is not willing to investigate and prosecute those responsible for heinous crimes committed by all parties to the conflict in the North-East.  

“The ICC should have already launched an investigation but there can be no doubt that the time will come in 2020 for the ICC to step up to its role as the court of last resort.”