US Group Drags Buhari Government To International Criminal Court Over Detained IPOB Leader, Kanu

Petitions International Criminal Court Over Secret Genocide, Rights Violation In Southeast Under Buhari’s Government.

A United States’ human rights and government accountability advocacy firm, BW Global Group LLC (BWGG) has filed a formal communication with the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The petition is asking the ICC to look into the atrocities perpetrated by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government against Nigerians in the South-East region of the country.

It was submitted pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute — of which the Nigerian Government is a signatory.

According to the IgbereTV, the filing precisely stated the killings carried out by Nigeria’s security agents against members of the separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who are mainly in the region with other residents.

The petition, signed by BWGG partner, Dr. Alan White on Thursday said, “The body of evidence against Nigeria and its systematic and repressive campaign against the IPOB in southern Nigeria has for too long been ignored by the international community. Today, we are petitioning the International Criminal Court to investigate the criminal acts of the Nigerian government — many of which have been well-documented by leading human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, leading news publications worldwide, and policy groups such as the Council on Foreign Relations.

“The IPOB Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu — a British National — was caught, held and tortured in Kenya for nine days and was unlawfully transported to Nigeria by its Security Agents (DSS) (June 19-29, 2021) in an unlawful rendition operation. Kanu was denied legal counsel for weeks and Kanu has yet to appear in a Nigerian court.”

Amnesty International has documented a catalogue of human rights abuses that the Nigerian government has taken against members of IPOB. These crimes under international law include: mass arrests, excessive and unlawful force, and torture.