By: Admin

The International Criminal Court, (ICC), on Monday, formally acknowledged receipt of a petition written by Prof. Gideon Christian to investigate election and post-election violence in Nigeria as well as alleged incitement to ethnic hate by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Media Director of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

The ICC, in its acknowledgments letter dated March 27, 2023, with reference number OTP-CR-109/23, was signed by Mark P. Dillon, Head of Information and Evidence Unit, Office of The Prosecutor.

The letter read: “The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court acknowledges receipt of your documents/letter.

“This communication has been duly entered in the Communications Register if 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.

“Please note this acknowledgment letter does not mean an investigation has been opened, or that an investigation will be opened by the Office of the Prosecutor.  AA soon as a decision is reached, we will inform you, in writing, and provide you with reasons for this decision.”

The petitioner, Christian, has in his petition titled: “Request to Investigate the Election and Post-Election Violence in Nigeria as well as Incitement to Ethnic Hate by Mr. Bayo Onanuga” invited the Office of the prosecutor to conduct an investigation into series of ethnically motivated violence resulting in injuries and death during the just concluded presidential and governorship elections in Nigeria.