The Federal Government has said the International Criminal Court has dismissed a petition seeking an investigation into alleged systemic kidnappings in Nigeria as crimes against humanity.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Communication and Publicity, Kamarudeen Ogundele.
Fagbemi said the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II rejected the application on September 1, 2026, on the grounds that it was improperly brought before the court and had no legal basis.
The petition, titled “Formal Communication Requesting Investigation into Systemic Kidnappings in Nigeria as Crimes Against Humanity,” was reportedly filed under Document No. ICC-RoC46(3)-01/26.
According to the AGF, the petition was submitted anonymously and assigned to the Pre-Trial Chamber on August 26 without an initial determination of whether it was legally competent.
He expressed concern over what he described as the unusual processing of the petition, arguing that it did not follow the court’s established procedures.
Fagbemi said, “While the Federal Republic of Nigeria acknowledges the swift decision of Pre-Trial Chamber II to throw out this unmeritorious application, the Federal Government observes with serious concern that the initial processing of this anonymous communication unusually bypassed established legal channels.”
He added that Nigeria was making representations to the ICC over the circumstances surrounding the filing, stressing that the authority to evaluate information or seek an investigation under the Rome Statute rests with the ICC Prosecutor or through a formal referral by a State Party or the United Nations Security Council.
“For the avoidance of doubt, internal administrative guidelines cannot be used to bypass the strict rules established under the Rome Statute,” the minister stated.
Fagbemi further maintained that neither the President of the Pre-Trial Division nor a Pre-Trial Chamber had the authority to receive anonymous petitions or interfere in the internal security affairs of a sovereign country.
He said Nigeria remained committed to the Rome Statute, international accountability and the rule of law, but insisted that the investigation and prosecution of crimes such as kidnapping and banditry remained primarily the responsibility of Nigerian security agencies and judicial institutions.
The minister also assured Nigerians and the international community that the ICC had not opened an investigation against Nigeria and that no adverse finding had been made against the Federal Government or any of its institutions.
The Federal Government subsequently urged all organs of the ICC to comply with established statutory procedures, saying this was necessary to safeguard the credibility of international criminal justice and maintain confidence between the court and its member states.
