Akintoye, Igboho, 49 Others Want ICC To Prosecute Buhari, Malami For Genocide
The International Criminal Court (ICC), Hague has acknowledged the receipt of a petition from the Leader of Ilana Omo Oodua, Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye, Chief Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho) and 49 Yoruba groups.
The petitioners are seeking for the investigation and prosecution of President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai and two former Inspectors General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and Muhammed Adamu, for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity.
Other prominent Nigerians petitioned are Comptroller General of Customs, Hammid Alli, Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba, Chief of Army Staff, Farouk Yahaya, former Chief of Air Force, Sadiq Abubakar, former Commandant-General of NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services, Mohammed Babandede and current Commandant-General of NSCDC, Abdulahi Gana Muhammadu.
The ICC, in a letter from the Office of the Prosecutor, with Ref No: OTP-CR-209/21 and dated 13 July, 2021, formally acknowledged receipt of the 27-page petition filed by the petitioners.
The letter, signed by, the Head of Information and Evidence Unit, Office of the Prosecutor, Mark P. Dillon, stated: “The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court acknowledges receipt of your documents/letter.
“The communication had been duly entered in the Communication Register of the Office. We will give consideration to the communication, as appropriate, in accordance with the Rome Status of the International Criminal Court.
“Please note that this acknowledgment letter does not mean an investigation has been opened, nor that an investigation will be opened by the Office of the Prosecutor.
“As soon as a decision is reached, we will inform you, and provide you with reasons for this decision.”
The petitioners, in the letter submitted to the ICC on their behalf by an international lawyer, Aderemilekun Omojola, Esq, accused President Buhari and others of genocide and crimes against humanity against the Yoruba People of Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Okun Land in Kogi and Kwara states.
As stated in a statement, on Wednesday, by the Communications Manager to Professor Akintoye, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye, other signatories to the petition with are Chief Imam of Yoruba in Ilorin, Kwara State, Sheik Raheem Aduranigba, Leader of Obinrin Oodua Agbaye, Chief Simisade Kuku, Leader of Yoruba Strategy Alliance, Babatunde Omololu, General Secretary of Ilana Omo Oodua, Arc. George Akinola and 44 others.
The 27-page petition accused Buhari, Malami, Buratai and others of genocide offences, including killing members of the petitioners’ groups; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the groups; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction in whole or in part.
They were also accused of crimes against humanity, such as murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population, torture, rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence of comparable gravity.
