The Nigerian Government must endeavour to respect and fully comply with its Rome Statute obligations, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has said.
In a statement issued by the court on Tuesday, President, Assembly of States Parties to the ICC, Ms Tina Intelmann lamented that Nigeria refused to facilitate the arrest of Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir, who entered Nigeria at the weekend and left only today.
“The Assembly had repeatedly expressed concerns regarding the negative consequences that failure to comply with decisions of the court had on the court’s capability to carry out its mandate,” the ICC president wrote in a letter to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Olugbenga Ashiru.
Intelmann reminded Nigeria of its commitment as a State Party to the Rome Statute, and the consequential compelling need to cooperate with the court. She also condemned visits of persons subject to arrest warrants of the court to any State Party, appealing to State Parties and other stakeholders to join efforts to prevent instances of non-cooperation.
ICC indicted Al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur, particularly for masterminding genocide and other atrocities during the conflict. Al-Bashir, who has continuously denied the charges, left Abuja on Tuesday morning after attending the Abuja + 12 AU Summit on HIV and AIDS.
