Anti-Igbo remarks: ICC investigates Oba of Lagos

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu is under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the statement he allegedly made about the Igbo living in Lagos State in the build-up to the state governorship election.

Oba Akiolu had allegedly vowed that Igbos in Lagos who would vote against his preferred candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, would sink in the Lagoon.

Ambode of the All Progressives Congress (APC) eventually won the election by defeating his closest rival Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP} in the election.

The son of a late former governor of old Anambra State, Josef Onoh, on April 21, petitioned the ICC on the statement and asked the world jury to investigate the threat and bring the monarch to justice.

The ICC had earlier in the year acknowledged receipt of Mr. Onoh’s petition and promised to give consideration to his request.

Mr. Onoh petitioned the ICC saying he believes that Mr. Akiolu’s threat amounted to a call for violence to be perpetrated against the Igbo in Lagos in the event that the APC governorship candidate loses the election, which he noted violates Article 20 of the International convention and elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.

“Had the threat been made by any lesser person we would have dismissed same as an idle threat, but coming from the Oba of Lagos himself, it was a call to arms and an incitement to violence against the Igbos,” Mr. Onoh wrote.

In a second correspondence to Mr. Onoh with reference number OTP-CR-140/15, dated August 13 2015, ICC’s Head of the Information & Evidence unit in the office of the prosecutor, M.P. Dillion, said they were analyzing the situation identified in his petition with the assistance of other related communications and other available information.

Read also: Oba Akiolu reveals how Tinubu, Fashola almost tore Lagos apart

Part of the ICC’s latest letter to Mr. Onoh reads: “Under article 53 of the Rome statute, the prosecutor must consider whether there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the court have been committed, the gravity of the crimes, whether national systems are investigating and prosecuting the relevant crimes, and the interests of justice.”

Acknowledging receipt of the petition, Mr. Dillon said: “This communication has been duly entered in the communications register of the office.”

When the statement was allegedly made then by the Oba of Lagos, there was palpable fear among the Igbo in Lagos few days to the election, on the day of the election and hours before the final election result was announced.

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