A 27-page petition written by Yoruba Nation agitators including lawyers and leaders within and outside the country against President Muhammadu Buhari and the security forces has been received and logged by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a senior official said on Tuesday.
The petition was filed against the President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Malam Abubakar Malami (SAN), former Chief of Army Staff, Gen.Tukur Buratai and former Inspectors-General of Police — Ibrahim Idris and Muhammed Adamu.
Other government officials petitioned are Comptroller General of Customs, Hammid Alli; Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba; Chief of Army Staff, Farouk Yahaya; former Chief of Airforce, Sadiq Abubakar; former Commandant-General of NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi; Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services, Mohammed Babandede and the Commandant-General of NSCDC, Abdulahi Gana Muhammadu.
A letter to the petitioners’ lawyer by the ICC’s Head of Information and Evidence Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor, Mr. Mark P. Dilon, read, “This communication has been duly entered in the Communications Register of the Office.
“We will give consideration to this communication, as appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
“As soon as a decision is reached to formally commence investigation into this petition, we will inform you, in writing, and provide you, with reasons for this decision.”
In the strongly-worded complaint, the Yoruba Nation agitators accused the Nigerian leaders and security chiefs of genocide and crimes against humanity as it affects Yoruba in Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Okun Land in Kogi, and Kwara states respectively.
Signatories to the petition include the Leader of Ilana Omo Oodua, Emeritus Prof. Banji Akintoye, some lawyers, Yoruba Activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Sunday Igboho (declared wanted by the Department of State Services (DSS), and other 49 Yoruba self-determination groups within Nigeria and in the Diaspora.
Others who signed the petition with Akintoye and Ighoho are Imam of Yoruba in Ilorin, Kwara State, Shielk Raheem Aduranigba; Leader of Obinrin Oodua Agbaye, Chief Simisade Kuku; Leader of Yoruba Strategy Alliance, Babatunde Omololu; General Secretary of Ilana Omo Oodua, George Akinola, and 44 others.
They accused Buhari, Malami, Buratai and others of genocide offences such as killing members of the petitioners group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction in whole or in part.
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