MUST READ: Why Buhari, el-Rufai, army chiefs may be jailed
– Islamic group pleads with International Criminal Court (ICC) to take actions against Buhari, el-Rufai
– Says the federal government has a history of keeping mute during crisis
– Drags army chiefs before the court
President Buhari and Governor Nasir el-Rufai may be jailed if actions are taken against them.
President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir el-Rufai may land in jail if actions are taking against them after they were dragged to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Premium Times reports that the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a UK-based Muslim advocacy organisation, has taken the pair to the ICC over the December 2015 massacre of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).
Also dragged before the court are the Emirs of Kano and Zaria, Muhammadu Sanusi II, and Shehu Idris respectively, for human rights violation and crimes against humanity over the alleged killing of at least 1,000 followers of the Shi’ite group led by Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
READ ALSO: Where is Justice for the 640 slain in Maiduguri?
According to the report, the IHRC asked the ICC to probe spokesperson of the Nigerian army, Sani Usman; General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian army, Kaduna, Adeniyi Oyebade; the commander Nigerian depot, Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin; director military intelligence, chief of defence intelligence, AVM Riku Morgan; commander 1 division garrison, Nigerian Army, Kaduna AK Ibrahim and Colonel FM Babayo for their roles in the massacre.
Reactions have continue to trail the arrest of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of Islamic Movement of Nigeria, by the Nigerian army.
Captain Ben, Adjutant Depot, Nigerian Army, Umar Labdo, Sambo Rigachukun, Bala Lau, Yahaya Jingir and Kabir Gombe were also dragged before the court.
The group says the attacks of the army on members of IMN between December 12 and 14 in Zaria can be termed as crime against humanity and therefore called on the ICC to initiate an investigation into the incident, stating that “ICC prosecutor should open a preliminary examination into the incidents that occurred between the 12th and 14th December 2015 in Zaria, Kaduna State.”
READ ALSO: Zaria bloodbath: Lawyer seeks arrest of El-Zakzaky’s wife
IHRC also says the “prosecutor expand(s) its monitoring activities on Nigeria and the army’s involvement in attacks against the IMN that occurred in the period between 2014 and 2015″ and asked “the ICC Prosecutor to issue a preventive statement saying that he is monitoring the Nigerian crisis and is aware of the commission of crimes and warn the perpetrators about their criminal liability.”
The group argued that the Zaria killings meet the two criteria of admissibility and gravity, and they are prerequisite before the ICC prosecutor which should force them into undertaking an investigation of an alleged crime against humanity.
Soldiers allegedly massacred members of the Shiites group
And while alleging that the federal government was not showing any willingness to investigate the killings, the commission emphasised that the country has a history of shielding persons implicated for serious crimes from “criminal responsibility for the crimes alleged.”
El-Rufai, the group maintained, has compromised the impartiality and independence of the commission of inquiry his government set up to investigate the massacre by demolishing the properties of the Shi’ite group after the incident and by listing a litany of grievances against the group in a speech he made.
READ ALSO: Arewa Youth Forum plead for IMN members’ release
Shiites demand the release of their leader.
Their statement reads: “At the present time, the available information shows some inadequacies or reluctance on the part of the Nigerian authorities to generally address the violence that occurred on 12-13 December 2015,” the report stated.
“The Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State governor Malam Nasir el-Rufai is insufficiently independent and impartial to be able to hold those responsible to account, nor is there any reasonable prospect of any prosecutions. In his speech, the governor listed a range of grievances against the IMN, which is indicative of bias against the IMN from the start.
“He further proceeded to demolish IMN properties before setting up the commission of the inquiry.
“Both IMN and Amnesty International have expressed concerns that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry is not set up to sufficiently perform a credible inquiry.”
Read more here.
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