International Criminal Court confirms Buratai, other ex-security chiefs cases with their prosecutor

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has said that the matter of the trial of Nigeria’s sacked security chiefs, is with its prosecutor.

Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai; former Chief of Defence Chief, General Abayomi Olonisakin; former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas; and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar were replaced as the service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari days ago.

According to SaharaReporters, the ICC in a mail by its Spokesperson, Fadi El-Abdallah on Thursday, January 28, confirmed that the cases of the outgone service chiefs is currently with the prosecutor.

The global apex court further directed SaharaReporters to contact its prosecutor for more details on the trial and prosecution of the former military chiefs.

Recall that the ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, in December 2020 had issued a preliminary determination to thoroughly investigate Nigerian security agencies over allegations of “crimes against humanity” and “war crimes”.

The Prosecutor 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: murder, rape, torture, and cruel treatment; enforced disappearance; forcible transfer of population; outrages upon personal dignity; intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such and against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities; unlawful imprisonment; conscripting and enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into armed forces and using them to participate actively in hostilities; persecution on gender and political grounds; and other inhumane acts”.

Bensouda 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”