The crisis in Zamfara State may soon take an international dimension as the Northern Intelligentsia Network has vowed to petition the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Governor Dauda Lawal.
The advocacy group accused the governor of failing to curb mass killings, abductions, and the destruction of villages by bandits across the state.
Dr. Aminu Shehu, President of the group, in a statement on Saturday, alleged that Governor Lawal’s public confession of knowing the hideouts of bandits without handing such intelligence to security agencies amounted to complicity.
“When a leader admits knowing the locations of criminals terrorising his people and still fails to act, that is not just negligence—it is enabling the violence,” Dr. Shehu said.
Calls for Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention
The group also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently step into the Zamfara situation, warning that unchecked insecurity in the North-West threatens national stability.
Reports from Maradun, Anka, Shinkafi, and Tsafe local councils highlight horrifying cases of women being raped, children mutilated, and entire communities burnt down.
The group maintained that such systematic assaults meet the definition of crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, to which Nigeria is a signatory.
ICC Petition in the Works
According to Dr. Shehu, a team of Nigerian and international lawyers is already assembling evidence, including victim testimonies and reports from humanitarian organisations, to file a petition before the ICC.
Citing Article 7 of the Rome Statute, the group stressed that leaders who fail to prevent or knowingly permit atrocities share responsibility for them.
The statement concluded with a rallying cry for civil society, religious leaders, and the international community to rise in defence of Zamfara’s residents.
“Zamfara is fast becoming a killing field. If urgent action is not taken, the violence will consume the North-West and beyond. Leaders who fail to act must be held accountable,” the group declared.
