TAKE BENUE MASSACRE TO ICC — SERAP TELLS TINUBU
Rights group gives 7-day deadline to act or face international push
Byline: By IDNN Legal & Human Rights Desk
LAGOS — Nigeria’s foremost human rights watchdog, SERAP, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently refer the escalating violence in Benue State to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution under international law.
In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, SERAP’s Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare insisted the scale of bloodshed and impunity in Benue and other conflict-prone states amounted to grave violations of humanitarian and human rights law.
“The referral would reinforce your government’s commitment to protect rights and deliver justice,” the group stated.
SERAP also issued a seven-day ultimatum, threatening to lobby other ICC state parties to trigger the court’s jurisdiction should the Nigerian government fail to act.
Referencing Article 14 of the Rome Statute, the group explained that Nigeria as a signatory can trigger immediate investigation by submitting a formal referral—no preliminary evidence needed.
“Justice is not an optional extra. It’s a prerequisite,” the statement added. “Failing to act emboldens perpetrators and weakens Nigeria’s international credibility.”
SERAP also warned that relying solely on domestic processes was inadequate given widespread accusations of state complicity and systemic failure in preventing mass atrocities.
The group called for ICC scrutiny not just in Benue but also in Zamfara, Kebbi, Plateau, Taraba, Borno, Sokoto, and other crisis states.
