According to Nesrescue.com - Nigeria’s main opposition party, All Progressives Congress, APC, has
demanded the immediate trial, by the International Criminal Court, of
two former Nigerian officials named by a government-appointed negotiator
as the sponsors of Islamist group Boko Haram.
At a press conference Tuesday, the APC called on President Goodluck
Jonathan to hand over former governor of Borno state, Ali Modu Sheriff,
and former Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, to the International
Criminal Court, ICC, to face trial over their alleged sponsorship of
the group.
The National Chairman of APC, John Oyegun, who spoke at the National
Secretariat of the party in Abuja, said his party expects the president
to “summon courage” and “do the right thing”.
“Now that the cat has been let out of the bag and the real sponsors
of Boko Haram have been exposed, we hope President Jonathan will summon
the courage to do the right thing: Hand over the identified Boko Haram
sponsors to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation and
prosecution,” Mr. Oyegun said.
“There is no doubt that Boko Haram has committed crimes against
humanity in its scorched-earth campaign against unharmed citizens, and
the most appropriate body to investigate and try the sect’s sponsors is
the ICC.
“According to Article 17 of the Rome Statute that set up the ICC, and
to which Nigeria is signatory, the ICC is a court of last resort,
expected to exercise its jurisdiction only if states themselves are
unwilling or unable genuinely to investigate and prosecute international
crimes,” Mr. Oyegun said.
An Australian negotiator, Stephen Davis, appointed by the Nigerian
government to help rescue more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko
Haram, has accused the former army chief and former governor as the
major sponsors of the deadly sect.
Messrs Sheriff and Ihejirika have denied the allegation.
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