Nigerian president Muhammad Buhari reassured the International Criminal Court (ICC), that his country will continue to cooperate with the organ.
According to Buhari, the ICC is a key judicial organ that continues to play a vital role in addressing injustices visited on innocent people across the world.
In his initial comments to the ICC whiles delivering a speech on the 20th anniversary celebration of the court, Buhari stressed: “I am honoured to be with you here today to celebrate the anniversary of this vital global institution. I say “vital” because the world needs the ICC.
“In addition to preventing impunity, promoting adherence and respect for the rule of law and fundamental freedoms worldwide and to punishing those in leadership positions responsible for the most appalling crimes and atrocities, the ICC has given hope for justice to so many, by demanding strict adherence to the rules of international humanitarian law.”
The leader of Africa’s most populous nation called on other nations that were not signatories to the Rome Statute to sign up in order to make the court one that had global reach.
Touching on the ICC’s challenges, Buhari said the Hague-based outfit had excelled in the area of dealing with accusations of bias and political targeting but added that it had to do more to further cement its impartiality.
“The twenty years of the Court’s existence have witnessed several challenges, some of which had threatened the very existence of the Court itself.
“Most notable were the withdrawals and threats of withdrawals of membership of the Court by some States, as well as accusations of bias in the exercise of the jurisdiction of the Court. Thankfully, the Court has addressed these challenges in a dignified and commendable way.
In the 20-year history of the ICC, almost all of its cases under investigation or prosecution involve Africans, as many of them were referred to the court by signatory countries.
The Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda were the first countries to make referrals to the ICC for investigation and prosecution of war crimes.
