The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, (ICC), has issued a preliminary determination to investigate Nigerian security forces over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes, the Agence France Presse (AFP) reported yesterday.
This is coming on the heels of allegations of human right abuses against the countrys security forces in the north-east and other parts of Nigeria.
The determination, issued yesterday, was silent on the specifics, such as the Lekki shooting, but declared the allegations are also sufficiently grave to warrant investigation by ICC.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC conducts independent preliminary examinations, investigations and prosecutions of the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
The outgoing ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said there is reasonable basis to believe that members of the Nigerian Security Forces (NSF) have committed the following acts constituting crimes against humanity and war crimes and other inhumane acts.
Picture caption: Nigerian security force
She added that the allegations are also sufficiently grave to warrant investigation by my office, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. My Office will provide further details in our forthcoming annual Report on Preliminary Examination Activities, adding that the investigation also showed the involvement of non-state actors such as the Boko Haram sect in crimes against humanity.
The development comes three days after the United States blacklisted Nigeria for engaging (in) systematic, on-going, egregious religious freedom violations.
The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who announced the measure, said country will continue to act when religious freedom is attacked.
