OPERATION PYTHON DANCE: ICC to probe alleged killings of IPOB members.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has indicated that it will investigate the September 2017 invasion of a community in Abia State, Nigeria by soldiers of the Nigeria Army during a military exercise codenamed Operation Python Dance.

This was contained in a letter from the office of the prosecutor in response to a petition filed to the court by a Nigerian journalist, Mr. Ahaoma Kanu, following the military occupation of Afara Ukwu community in Umuahia in a bid to arrest the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

The incident had reportedly led to the killing of several members of the IPOB group.

The letter with reference number OTP-CR-413/17 dated March 20, 2018, which is the second response by the court to the petitioner, confirmed that the military invasion and deaths recorded relates to a situation already under preliminary examination by the Office of the Prosecutor.

“Accordingly, your communication will be analysed in this context, with the assistance of other related communications and other available information,” the letter signed by Mark Dillon, head of the Information and Evidence Unit at the Office of the Prosecutor, read.

After the September 16, 2017 attack on his country home, the IPOB leader Kanu and his aged father have not been seen till date fuelling speculations he was being held by the state, but the Army has denied that Kanu is in their custody.

Read also: Court sets date to rule on re-ordering of election sequence

Following petitions by civil rights groups, ICC commenced and concluded preliminary investigations into the alleged killing of over 200 members of the Islamic M0vement of Nigeria (IMN) in December 2015 as well as opened preliminary investigations into the killings of members of the IPOB by the Nigeria Army soldiers in October 2015.

The Nigerian journalist and petitioner, Ahaoma Kanu, filed a petition to the ICC calling for an investigation and prosecution of the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai and all members of the Nigeria Army involved in the alleged extrajudicial killings of the IPOB members during the Operation Python Dance exercise.

Dillon stated that,” Under Article 53 of the Rome Statutes, the Prosecutor must consider whether there is 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.”

He went further to say that “Analysis will be carried out as expeditiously as possible, but please be aware that meaningful analysis of these factors can take some time,” promising to provide reasons for any decision reached by the court to proceed with the investigation.

The petitioner said he is very optimistic that the court will reach a decision to go ahead with an investigation because of the weight of evidence attached on a memory stick attached to the petition.

“I have no doubts that very soon the people responsible for turning the Nigeria Army into a killer squad which exterminates her citizens will be brought to justice. This is the second correspondence I am getting from the court and will be ready to assist the investigations as we have hard evidences to show to the investigators when the time comes. This will go a long way to show soldiers that use their weapons to shoot innocent people in Nigeria that the world is watching and justice will always catch up with them.”

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now