The International Criminal Court (ICC) has admitted receipt of a petition filed by 51 Yoruba Nation agitators, including Prof. Banji Akintoye and Sunday Igboho.
In the 27-page petition, the agitators accused the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The petition was filed against President Buhari; Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN; former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai; as well as former Inspectors General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and Muhammed Adamu.
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The 51 individuals and groups alleged that the crimes were committed against the Yoruba people of Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Okun Land in Kogi, and Kwara states respectively.
According to them, the accused persons orchestrated the killing of members of the petititoners’ groups, 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.
ICC’s Head of Information and Evidence Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor, Mr. Mark P. Dilon confirmed receipt of the petition in a letter to the petititoners’ lawyer.
The letter read, “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.
“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.”