The prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicted the Boko Haram sect, saying
that there is reason to believe that crimes against humanity have been
committed in Nigeria, namely murder and persecution by the sect.
A report issued by the
Office of the Prosecutor’s Fatou Bensouda yesterday found that the group has,
since July 2009, “launched a widespread and systematic attack that has resulted
in the killing of more than 1,200 Christian and Muslim civilians in different
locations throughout Nigeria.
“The scale and
intensity of the attacks have increased over time,” said the report based on
preliminary information through December 2012.
The ICC stated in a
news release that it is now assessing whether the national authorities are
conducting genuine proceedings in relation “to those who appear to bear the
greatest responsibility for such crimes, and the gravity of such crimes”.
It added that
the prosecutor is still assessing three other phases of the situation in
Nigeria, and, once completed, will decide if a situation meets the legal
criteria established by the Rome Statute – the Court’s founding treaty – to
warrant an investigation by the ICC.
During the timeframe
of the report, secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) repeatedly warned Boko Haram against
attacks on civilians.
President Goodluck
Jonathan declared a state of emergency in May to fight Boko Haram. Related
anti-insurgent operations and general insecurity have uprooted thousands of
people in north-eastern Nigeria, with more than 6,000 of them fleeing to
neighbouring Niger for safety, the UN High commissioner for refugees (UNHCR)
reported in June.
Located in the Hague,
in the Netherlands, the ICC is an independent, permanent court that tries
persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern – namely
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes – if national authorities with
jurisdiction are unwilling or unable to do so genuinely.
2 soldiers, 17 sect
members killed as JTF repels attacks
Thirty-five people
were confirmed killed and several others injured in Borno State when suspected
Boko Haram members attempted to take over security and military installations
in the state.
The federal government
had, last week, deployed soldiers withdrawn from peacekeeping operation in Mali
to the troubled state after the state government made request for additional
troops to chase out the insurgents.
The Boko Haram
insurgents had invaded many local government areas of the state including
Kukawa, Abadam, Biu, Kaga, Damboa, Mafa and Marte after they were said to have
been uprooted from their Sambisa camp and within the state capital Maiduguri.
In a statement
yesterday by the spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt. Col. Sagir Musa,
the sect was said to have attacked two towns, Bama and Malam Fatori where there
was attempted takeover of security and military outfits in the areas.
During the attacks,
the insurgents were said to have suffered a heavy casualty of 32 dead and an
undisclosed number of injured, while two soldiers and a policeman were
reportedly killed.
According to Musa,
“Troops have successfully repelled Boko Haram terrorist attacks on Mobile
Police (MOPOL) base and Bama town. Terrorists using sophisticated weapons and
improvised explosive devices (IEDs) attacked at about 6:45am on 4 August 2013.
The encounter led to the death of one policeman and 17 Boko Haram terrorists.
Two soldiers were also wounded.”
He added that, during
the Bama incident, “troops recovered the following items: 4 Toyota Hilux
vehicles, 10 AK47 rifles, 2 G3 rifles, 10 X 40 mm bombs, 3 RPG tubes, 85 rounds
of 7.62 mm ammunition, an improvised explosive device, 3 motorcycles, 10 AK47
rifle magazines, a G3 magazine, among others.”
Musa also said:
“Similarly, at about 10am on 4 August 2013, some Boko Haram terrorists armed
with sophisticated weapons attacked a Multi-national Joint Task Force location
at Malam Fatori. The attack led to the death of two soldiers and 15 Boko Haram
terrorists.”
The spokesman added
that the situations in both towns have been brought back to normalcy, and
reminded the public to continue to assist the security agencies with timely and
credible information, insinuating that this will go a long way to flush out
terrorism.
Sultan cautions elders
against fanning embers of insecurity, violence
In a related
development, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has warned Nigerians
against fanning the embers of insecurity and violence in the country.
The Sultan gave the
warning on Sunday when he hosted a 20-man delegation of the Kaduna-based Peace
Revival and Reconciliation Foundation of Nigeria at a fast-breaking dinner.
Abubakar noted that in
time of crisis, the sons and daughters of the downtrodden Nigerians were always
the victims of violence and mayhem.
“These poor and
vulnerable youths get killed or maimed while their colleagues in the wealthy
and elitist families are often sent abroad for studies.
“This is another form
of injustice against the weak, indigent youths and it must be urgently
stopped,” he added.
Speaking on 2015, the
Sultan stressed the need to pray for the country’s leaders ``who will take us
out of our present predicaments as a nation’’.
He added that
traditional rulers are not politicians but” fathers and leaders in the
political field...who would continue to pray for Nigeria and her leaders to
lead the nation to the promised land.”
The Sultan also
commended members of the foundation dedicated to peace building in the north
and Nigeria generally for doing a very patriotic job.
“This is a group of
youths from Islam and Christianity who are doing what the elders are supposed
to be doing for the country to have peace, unity, security, stability, cohesion
and understanding among all Nigerians,” he added.
The monarch urged the
youths not to allow themselves to be used by some selfish leaders as “preys”.
The leader of the
delegation, Mr Solomon Dalong, a lawyer and human rights activist, said the
problems currently facing Nigeria were artificial.
“These problems like
insecurity, corruption and poverty, among others, were not created by God. We
had lived peacefully with each other before and the situation now is
unacceptable,” he added.
JTF denies clash
between Biu and Maiduguri civilian JTF in Biu town
But the JTF in
Maiduguri has denied a report in some media in respect of the killing of 19
civilian JTF members and slaughtering of eight innocent residents of Biu town
last weekend following a feud between the Maiduguri civilian JTF and Biu
civilian JTF over the tracking down of some suspected Boko Haram members
terrorising Biu town.
Similarly, the JTF has
denied the occurrence of the said report in a national newspaper (not
LEADERSHIP) in respect the killing of five civilian JTF in Biu town.
The JTF spokesman, Lt.
Col. Sagir Musa, told journalists in Maiduguri yesterday that all the media
reports read or seen in newspapers or online were false.
According to him,
there was no incident as such except that the JTF men escorted some civilian
JTF on operations mission in Biu town giving them security cover to and from
Biu town following the incidences of Mainok and Kukawa to carry out their
assignments in Biu.
But on reaching Biu
town, the Maiduguri civilian JTF had a misunderstanding with the Biu town
civilian JTF leading to a squabble that left some injured; cars and buses hired
by the Borno State government for the Maiduguri civilian JTF were damaged; the
windscreens of some of the vehicles were damaged by the Biu town civilian JTF.
No civilian JTF under
the cover of the JTF was allowed to carry a gun, he said.
“The issue of killing
did not arise as there was nobody with gun and no shooting except that we heard
the JTF shot in the air to disperse the warring civilian JTF but nobody was
shot by the JTF as reported. No JTF killed anybody and no civilian JTF with gun
killed or shot anybody in Biu town as reported. You people can quote me. This
is what I say and was reported to me officially,” Sagir said.
.jpeg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment