By Ayodele Oni
Agitations by the people of Yoruba race in South-west Nigeria for self independence, seem to be getting international attention. The International Criminal Court (ICC), on Tuesday, July 13th, formally acknowledged receipt of their 27-page petition.
The petition was 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.
The petition accused the top brass in the present administration, including President Muhammad Buhari, Minister of Justice and Antoney-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 of various crimes against people from the Yoruba race.
The petition, signed by several leaders of other Yoruba Self-Determination Groups was submitted at the ICC on their behalf by an International Lawyer, Aderemilekun Omojola.
The Nigerian Leaders were accused of Genocide and Crimes against the Yoruba People of Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Okun Land in Kogi, and Kwara States respectively.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Communications Manager to Prof Akintoye, Mr Maxwell Adeleye, revealed that others that signed the petition are 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.
The statement revealed that other Nigerian Government leaders 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, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu.
It added that the ICC’s Head of Information and Evidence Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor, Mr Mark P. Dilon, acknowledged 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.”
The 27-page petition accused the Nigerian leaders of Genocide offences such as killing members of the petitioners’ group; 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.
They were also accused of crimes against humanity, such as murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population, torture, rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence of comparable gravity.
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