The International Criminal Court has formally acknowledged receipt of a 27-page petition filed by the Leader of Ilana Omo Oodua, Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye, Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, fondly called Sunday Igboho and other 49 Yoruba Self-Determination Groups against President Muhammadu Buhari.
Others the petition was filed against include: Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai and former Inspectors General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and Muhammed Adamu.
In the petition, signed by several leaders of Yoruba self-determination groups and submitted at the ICC on their behalf by their lawyer, Aderemilekun Omojola, the Nigerian leaders were accused of genocide and crimes against humanity against the Yoruba people of Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Okun Land in Kogi, and Kwara states respectively.
According to a statement made available on Wednesday by the Communications Manager to Akintoye Maxwell Adeleye, others who signed the petition include Chief Imam of Yoruba in Ilorin, Kwara state, Shielk Raheem Aduranigba, leader of Obinrin Oodua Agbaye, Chief Simisade Kuku, leader of Yoruba Strategy Alliance, Babatunde Omololu, General Secretary of Ilana Omo Oodua, Arc. George Akinola, and 44 others.
In a letter to the petitioners’ lawyer, the ICC’s Head of Information and Evidence Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor, Mr. Mark P. Dilon, said that “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.
“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.”
Other Nigerian government officials petitioned are Comptroller General of Customs, Hammid Alli, Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba, Chief of Army Staff, Farouk Yahaya, former Chief of Airforce, Sadiq Abubakar, former Commandant-General of NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services, Mohammed Babandede and the Current Commandant-General of NSCDC, Abdulahi Gana Muhammadu.
