Southern Kaduna: USNLG Provides Genocide Victims Pictures, Other Exhibits To ICC
SOME OF THE PICTURES ARE GORY THUS CANNOT BE PUBLISHED HERE- Forefront News
…As Group raises alarm over prison escape of killer herdsmen in Plateau to ICC
The US-Nigeria Law Group on Friday provided additional evidence and exhibits to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in support of the public petition earlier submitted during the week.
A statement by the coordinator of the Group, Mr Emmanuel Ogeba said that the petition has so far garnered signatories from seven countries.
The letter containing the additional evidence and exhibits states:
Dear Madam Prosecutor,
Further to the petition mailed you this week, US Nigeria Law Group wishes to provide you with further evidence and exhibits to invoke your jurisdiction over crimes against humanity in the Nigerian genocide.
We wish to lend our concern to the alarm raised by a Nigerian NGO that some captured Fulani Killer Herdsmen escaped prison custody in Plateau state last week:
“MILITANT FULANI KILL WITH IMPUNITY; INCARCERATED MILITANT FULANI SET LOOSE
Five militant herdsmen are still at large after escaping from security operatives at Plateau State High Court in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area with help from gunmen suspected to be fellow militant herdsmen on Thursday, 23rd July, 2020.
Stefanos Foundation received information that on 23rd July, 2020 at about 10AM, a convoy of the Nigerian Correctional Service conveying about 10 criminals with crimes ranging from kidnapping to murder and rape was attacked by armed Fulani Militants, abetting the escape of six of the criminals.
The names of the escaped inmates are listed as Umar Adamu, Yusuf Adamu, Musa Abdulkasim, Mohammed Ibrahim, Bashir Mohammed and Shua’ibu Ado.
According to sources, the gunmen shot sporadically into the air but surprisingly, there was no return fire from the security operatives guarding the prisoners.
Sources also revealed that although the inmates were being transported on the claim of hearing scheduled to come up in Barkin Ladi High Court, there was really no court order directing that the criminals be brought to court that day.
Intelligence gathered on the criminals revealed that Bashir Mohammed is an ardent Fulani criminal charged with multiple counts of murder, including the murder of a pastor and the rape of the wife of the deceased.
In an interesting turn of events, one of the escaped criminals, Mohammed Ibrahim, was later rearrested by troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) deployed to Rarin Shou village of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
This was made known according to a press release made on 24th July, 2020 by the Media Officer of the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Major Ibrahim Shittu.
According to the Major, the prisoner has been handed over to the Nigerian Correctional Service, Plateau State Command. He further stated that efforts were being made to ensure the arrest of the other five escaped prisoners and that anyone with useful information that could lead to their arrest should contact the nearest OPSH location or the Nigerian Police.
Stefanos Foundation commends the effort of the OPSH who apprehended the culprit.
The organization, however worries that these hardened criminals on the loose poses a serious threat to communities as they are susceptible to repeat cycles of attacks even as the nation battles with insurgents’ activities in different parts of the country“ – Stefanos Foundation (EXHIBIT A) https://www.facebook.com/100005842232519/posts/1372218296316232/?d=n
For avoidance of doubt, this escape is highly indicative of official complicity, collaboration and criminality in the ongoing genocidal attacks.
We note that as we pointed out to the Officer of the prosecutor 10 years ago, killer Fulani Herdsmen were captured in the same Plateau state and prosecuted by then President Musa Yar’adua himself like Major General Buhari a Fulani from Katsina State. How can a lecturer be more competent than a military officer in tackling insecurity?
For the record, the only Killer Fulani Herdsmen convicted in relation to a massacre was in 2010 and the names of some of the 15 convicts are:
Mohammed Auwal, Ibrhim Yusuf, Salihu Jibrin, Abdulkarim Mohammed, Suliman Jibrin, Muhammed Jibri, Suleiman Jibrin, Musa Abdulmumuni, Isah Bello, Abdulhamid Bello, Isa Dauda and Ibrahim Jibrin.
We monitored these trials ourselves. Accordingly, it is clear that the Buhari regime has not done as much as Yar’Adua even though Yar’Adua was also accused of bias. The failure to effectively prosecute and the contrived escape of the suspects gives ICC jurisdiction to take up the matter of the killer Fulani Herdsmen for crimes against humanity.
Secondly in the matter of Boko Haram terrorism, a senator representing northeast Nigeria and a victim have condemned the release of so-called rehabilitated terrorists:
Ndume faults FG’s amnesty for repentant Boko Haram fighters
Ndume said the programme was unacceptable, calling on the government to stop forthwith.
He said rather than training Boko Haram that won’t appreciate it, those in the IDP camps should be trained in various trades and vocations.
The lawmaker said, “They are like Kharajites. Many among those released have since run away. They will never repent. The government should know what to do about them, but not reintroducing someone to you, who has killed your parents or your relations.
“Not that he even apologised to you; he apologised to the government. His thinking was that government has failed and that is why they are being pampered. This government’s programme is unacceptable to our people. The right thing is to stop it forthwith.
“If there is sincerity of purpose, those in the Internally Displaced Persons’ camps should be trained in various trades and vocations, so that they can start life again.”
Meanwhile, a widow, who was featured in the programme, berated the Federal Government for training repentant insurgents to be reintegrated into the community.
She claimed that the insurgents killed her husband and now left with four children, wondering why the government was pampering the so-called repentant insurgents.
She said, “This is hurting. They (Boko Haram) killed my husband in my presence. They killed my son. I am left suffering with four young orphans. Till death, I will never forget that day.” https://punchng.com/ndume-faults-fgs-amnesty-for-repentant-boko-haram-fighters/
– Punch Newspaper (EXHIBIT B)
The admission here by both an elected representative and a victim as to this failed obnoxious policy suffices to prove that victims are not receiving justice and perpetrators are literally getting away with murder and in fact returning to commit more murder.
The only logical conclusion therefore is that again the jurisdiction of the ICC should be invoked for failure to bring to justice under domestic courts.
Attached are additional exhibits.
Exhibit C. photo of ECWA Pastor murdered in the massacre last week
ECWA lost another vibrant and young Pastor
Pastor Shama Kuyet Ishaya the associate minister at ECWA Zikpak and a graduate of ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja, Kwara State, was among those massacred by Fulani Herdsmen last week. Pastor Shama, who was also preparing for his wedding was macheted to death by herdsmen… In Southern Kaduna, many Christian were Killed and the killing is still ongoing “unchecked” as at the time we are posting this
More signatories have joined the petition to the Prosecutor of the ICC. The petition has now been signed by people from three continents, several Nigerian and American states and several African countries. We welcome the signatories from:
USA
CANADA
UK
KENYA
MALAWI
SOUTH AFRICA
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Additional signatories included in the petition below but the content remains the same.
Furthermore a former Attorney General of Kaduna state warned:
“My hometown Kagoro in Kaura LGA Kaduna State was attacked in another orgy of violence by agents of death and destruction. In the attack on Kukum Daji in my Village of Kukum, 16 people were killed and about 40 injured. I have confirmed that at least two of the victims are family members. Whatever their motive, they didn’t spare women and children. From the trend of killings in the Northwest, it is clear that government cannot fulfill its obligation of providing security or protecting the people. I have held this position prior to the coming in of this administration, things have only got worse as the perpetrators seem emboldened by today’s leadership. I have said so before and I repeat it again. Since the government has failed to protect the people, government should allow the people the right to bear arms in order to protect their lives and property. The marauders will feel less emboldened when they know that the people can fight back. The right to self defense is guaranteed in the Constitution, it must be given teeth by the further right to bear arms, not to attack others but to defend and fight back when attacked. Anger is boiling all over the country and very soon government will loose all legitimacy as people may be forced to take their own fate in their hands. No telling where the ensuring conflagration will lead us”.
Madame Prosecutor, you have dragged your feet on genocide in Nigeria for too long.
Till this date, your office has not identified and declared perpetrators of the terrorist genocide in Nigeria wanted as you continue an endless “preliminary examination” while atrocities continue on a daily basis as illustrated above.
Nigeria has failed to adequately prosecute offenders or restitute victims. The same week of these atrocities, the government of Mjr Gen. Buhari “reintegrated” 602 Boko Haram Terrorists and paid each N20,000, brand new clothes etc.
However their victims are in wretched IDP camps, dying of malnutrition, suffering rape by camp officials and children being trafficked.
Worse of all IDPs like Luka who found a job helping victims was executed by the terrorists.
Shockingly, military whistle blowers have lamented that rehabilitated terrorists are rejoining Boko Haram. There is utter impunity and in fact reward for terrorism but deprivation and denial of justice for victims.
With regard to Fulani Herdsmen killings, there have been no arrests and prosecutions despite thousands killed. Not since 2010 when Killer Fulani Herdsmen were imprisoned for the Dogo Nawaha massacre in Plateau state has anyone been convicted.
We urge you therefore to make a determination that
-Nigeria has failed the complementarity test and has not adequately addressed these crimes against humanity in domestic courts;
– that Nigeria’s mass release of Boko Haram suspects has actually engendered impunity and endangered communities further and
-that Nigeria’s failure to prosecute Fulani killer Herdsmen is implicit support and or enabling of their genocidal actions given Buhari’s own Fulani antecedents and activism.
Attached are pictures and additional reports from a local
Emmanuel Ogebe, ESQ
Special Counsel
Justice for Jos Project
US NIGERIA LAW GROUP
WASHINGTON
Seeking to end impunity in the Nigerian Genocide
The new evidence include signatories from Other African Nations:
