The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a petition seeking an investigation into alleged “systemic kidnappings in Nigeria as crimes against humanity.”
The petition, filed by an anonymous individual, was dismissed by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II on September 1, 2026, for lacking “any legal basis.”
The petition, titled “Formal Communication Requesting Investigation into Systemic Kidnappings in Nigeria as Crimes Against Humanity,” was transmitted to the ICC’s Pre-Trial Division on August 24 and assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber II on August 26.
The three-member chamber, led by Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, with Judges Sergio Godínez and Haykel Mahfoudh, subsequently dismissed it.
Reacting to the decision, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, criticised the process through which the petition was assigned to the chamber.
Fagbemi argued that the ICC’s Pre-Trial Division should have first determined whether it had the legal competence to entertain the matter or whether the anonymous filing was manifestly frivolous.
He said the Federal Government was concerned that an unverified filing had been assigned to a judicial chamber without adequate preliminary assessment.
The minister further argued that under the Rome Statute, the authority to evaluate information or request an investigation rests with the ICC Prosecutor, a State Party referral or the UN Security Council.
Fagbemi stressed that the handling of the petition did not amount to an ICC investigation against the Nigerian government or its institutions.
He assured Nigerians that the Federal Government remained committed to protecting Nigeria’s sovereignty while maintaining cooperation with international institutions in accordance with established laws and procedures.
