The leaders of Yoruba Nation, the group campaigning for self-determination of the South West region, have dragged President Muhammadu Buhari and other top government officials to the International Criminal Court.
Those who signed the petition are Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye; leader of the Yoruba Nation, Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho, and other 49 Yoruba Self-Determination groups.
According to a statement by Communications Manager to Akintoye, Maxwell Adeleye, that those who signed the petition with Akintoye and Igboho were Chief 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, Arc. George Akinola, and 44 others.
Others included in the petition are Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami; former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, and former Inspectors-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and Muhammed Adamu.
Others petitioned against 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 Audu, Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services, Mohammed Babandede and the Current Commandant-General of NSCDC, Abdulahi Gana Muhammadu.
The petitioners accused the Nigerian leaders of genocide and crimes against humanity against the Yoruba People of Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Okun Land in Kogi, and Kwara States respectively.
In the 27-page petition, the agitators of the Yoruba Nation 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.
The ICC has formally acknowledged receipt of the petition.
In a letter to the petitioners’ Lawyer, the ICC’s Head of Information and Evidence Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor, Mr. Mark P. Dilon, wrote: “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.
“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,” the letter reads.
