(credit: cc-cpi.int)  International Criminal Court Chief  Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda

By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The International Criminal Court’s chief  Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced that there is enough evidence to open a full investigation into war atrocities committed in Nigeria.  The news from ICC prosecutor Bensousda came after The Hague, Netherlands-based tribunal concluded a decade-long preliminary investigation into crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed by Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces.

“Following a thorough process, I can announce today that the statutory criteria for opening an investigation into the situation in Nigeria have been met. Specifically, my Office has concluded that there is a reasonable basis to believe that members of Boko Haram and its splinter groups have committed the following acts constituting crimes against humanity and war crimes: murder; rape, sexual slavery, including forced pregnancy and forced marriage; enslavement; torture; cruel treatment; outrages upon personal dignity; taking of hostages; intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities; intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in a humanitarian assistance; intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to education and to places of worship and similar institutions; conscripting and enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into armed groups and using them to participate actively in hostilities; persecution on gender and religious grounds; and other inhumane acts.”

-International Criminal Court’s chief  Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda

ICC Prosecutor Says Nigerian Security Forces Complicit in Murder, Rape, Torture 

The ICC’s chief prosecutor said that while  the war tribunal’s office  recognises that the vast majority of criminality within the situation in Nigeria is attributable to non-state actors, “we have also found a reasonable basis to believe that members of the Nigerian Security Forces (“NSF”) have committed the following acts constituting crimes against humanity and war crimes: murder, rape, torture, and cruel treatment; enforced disappearance; forcible transfer of population.”

“These allegations are also sufficiently grave to warrant investigation by my Office, both in quantitative and qualitative terms”

-ICC Prosecutor Bensouda

ICC judges must approve the request to  investigate Nigeria for alleged war atrocities.  Boko Haram began its violent campaign in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 with the goal of imposing its version of strict Islamic law. Thousands have since been killed and many more displaced.

AMENSTY INTERNATIOAL  Calls on ICC To Open Immediate Full  Investigation into Nigeria Situation 

“After years of calling on the ICC Prosecutor to open a full investigation, this is the first meaningful step towards justice that we have seen for victims of atrocious crimes committed by all parties to the conflict in Northeast Nigeria,” said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty’s Director of Research and Advocacy

We @amnesty fought for this important milestone for years! #ICC Prosecutor must now follow with immediate action to open a full investigation. 10 years has been too long a wait for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity in #Nigeira! https://t.co/i32ESoByoO

— Netsanet D. Belay (@NetsanetDBelay) December 11, 2020

“Nigerian authorities still have an obligation to conduct genuine investigations into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including by its own military. But to date they have done everything in their power to avoid independent and effective investigations”

-AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL