The federal government has made it clear it is dissatisfied with continued attacks on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials, as this weakens the Rome Statute system and its support worldwide. Nigeria also renewed its commitment to the Court “as the cornerstone of the fight against impunity”.
This was made known by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, at the 19th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, at The Hague, Netherlands.
In a statement by Malami’s spokesperson, Umar Gwandu, the AGF was quoted as saying, “The federal government has condemned all actions geared towards undermining and weakening the ICC’s ability to freely exercise its mandate. Nigeria is therefore renewing its commitment to the ICC as the cornerstone of the fight against impunity and a critical element of rules-based international order.
“We are committed to working together with States Parties to oppose efforts to undermine the work of the Court and its independence,’’ he assured.”
Malami also said Nigeria was committed to supporting a transparent process of selecting the best and most qualified candidates for the positions of prosecutor and judges of the ICC.
Commending the efforts of the outgoing ICC president, who is also a Nigerian, Eboe Osuji, Malami said, “Osuji brought enduring reforms to the court and spearheaded efforts that have led to a better understanding of the court on the world stage as well as improved the conditions of service of judges.”
