Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says Nigeria will not
surrender its sovereignty to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mohammed dismissed
the threats of civil society organisations (CSOs) who vowed to report top
government officials to the ICC.
Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, is among some of the
individuals who have been served with such threats.
The court, headquartered in the Hague, Netherlands, tries
individuals charged with the crimes such as genocide or war crimes.
In December, ICC issued a preliminary determination to
investigate Nigerian security forces over allegations of “crimes against
humanity” and “war crimes”.
But Mohammed said some CSOs have colluded with the ICC to
“exacerbate the challenges facing the country in the area of security.”
“Let me say straight away that Nigeria is fending off
attacks on many fronts, not just from terrorists and bandits, but also from
some human rights organizations and the International Criminal Court (ICC)
which seem to have colluded to exacerbate the challenges facing the country in
the area of security,” he said.
“While our security agencies continue to battle these
bandits and terrorists, the ICC and some international human rights
organizations, especially Amnesty International, have constituted themselves to
another ‘fighting force’ against Nigeria, constantly harassing our security
forces and threatening them with investigation and possible prosecution over
alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.
“Unfortunately, a section of the local media has been
parroting these organizations without weighing the impact of their constant
threats on the security of the nation.
“The federal government frowns at this unbridled attempt to
demoralize our security men and women as they confront the onslaught from
bandits and terrorists.”
The minister said Nigeria did not join the ICC so it could
become a pawn on the court’s chessboard.
“It beggars belief to
see that a nation that is fighting an existential war against bandits and
terrorists is constantly being held down by an international body which it
willingly joined,” Mohammed said.
“Nigeria is a sovereign state and will not surrender its
sovereignty to any organization. ICC, Amnesty International and their cohorts
should desist from threatening our troops and putting the security of our
country in jeopardy. Enough is enough.
“It is sad that these organisations mostly rely on fake news
and disinformation to reach their conclusions, as witnessed during the EndSARS
protest when CNN – an otherwise respected global news network – went to town
with fake news of a massacre.”
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