Rights group drags Taraba Governor, Speaker to ICC over Mambilla killings
- A human rights group has dragged the Taraba state governor and the speaker of the state's House of Assembly to the International Criminal Court
- The petitioners urged the court to investigate the governor, speaker and the chairman of Sardauna local government area John Yep over the killings in the state
- The group said the trio were not doing enough to stop the clashes between resident of the area and some herdsmen
A human rights group has petitioned the International Criminal Court over killing of some Fulani indigenes in Mambilla, Taraba state on June 17.
The group, Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC), in its petition called on the ICC to investigate the governor of Taraba state Darius Ishaku, the speaker of the Taraba state House of Asseembly Abel Diah and the chairman of Sardauna local government area John Yep.
SHAC said accused the trio of not doing all that is needed to stop the killings in the state.
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The group through its lawyer Alexandra Thome prayed the ICC for an international arrest warrant against the three defendants.
Citing Articles 58 (1) (a), 58 (1) (b) (i), 58 (1) (b) (ii) and 58 (1) (b) (iii), the human rights group said the warrant would help facilitate the arrest of the governor and his co-accused.
The group in their petition also urged the court to compel the defendants to pay upon conviction $1,000,000,000 as compensation to the victims of the attack at Mambilla.
The petition reads in part: "Also, a total of about 17, 000 cattle were killed while several houses and villages were burnt around the area. Indeed, what became most worrisome to our client in recent time is the scale, extent and manner of the carnage, as people and animals are being killed in the most barbaric nature by irate mobs claiming to be the indigenes of Mambilla Plateau.
"Available records show that the mobs were protesting the arrest of a suspected criminal by the police and decided to launch coordinated attacks on Fulani cattle breeders.
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It said: "Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is obvious that crimes against humanity have been committed on the territory of Nigeria, thereby clothing the ICC with unfettered jurisdiction to investigate, arrest and try the persons involved in the attacks alongside Taraba State Government in accordance with Section 12 and 13 of the Rome Statute.
"It is rather disheartening to note that Nigeria is still battling with corruption in the judiciary after over 56 years of independence, thereby giving opportunity to certain powerful but unscrupulous elements to keep getting away with evil machinations against humanity. There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigerian judiciary is incapable of providing the needed solution to the raging crisis at Mambilla Plateau at the moment.
"To that extent, the solution lies with the ICC being the last hope of the common man to swiftly swing into action by offering an arena for investigation and hearing for the sake of justice, equity and fair play. We take solace in Article 15 (3) of the Rome Statute which qualifies this Criminal Complaint by itself as constituting “a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation” and mete out appropriate sanctions based on the prima facie cases of genocide, aiding and abetting illicit killings at Mambilla Plateau already established herein"
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NAIJ.com earlier reported that a bloody clash between the Nguroje community and some herdsmen at the Mambilla neighbourhood in Saraduna local government area of Taraba state led to the killing of three.
An earlier clash, in January was also said to have resulted to the death of many including women and children.
Houses and many other property worth million were said to have been destroyed in the clashes which stirred up controversy within the polity.
You can watch this NAIJ.com video of killing in Southern Kaduna: