President Goodluck Jonathan

Muhammad Bello

The Federal Government has pledged that it will support the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its efforts to curb unnecessary flouting of the rule of law across the globe and African continent.

President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed this when he met with the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, who paid him a courtesy call at the State House Tuesday in Abuja.

“Nigeria does not encourage impunity, and will cooperate with the ICC to check it. We are open to you and have nothing to hide,” the president said.

According to him, the Attorney-General and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation have both been directed to “ensure that the ICC Chief Prosecutor receives all the support and cooperation required to make her visit to Nigeria a fruitful one.”

He drew Bensouda’s attention to the ICC’s involvement in five situations in Africa, with the attendant criticism from the continent, and called on the Chief Prosecutor to use her experience in the Court to resolve potential areas of conflict or disagreement.

Jonathan called for greater engagement by the ICC with the AU to create an enabling environment for cooperation.
towards the realization of the Court’s laudable objectives.

Earlier, the ICC Chief Prosecutor, Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, told President Jonathan she was in Nigeria on the invitation of the Government to discuss cooperation and the Court’s work in the country over the past five years.

Mrs. Bensouda said Nigeria was not under any investigation, as the Government had responsibility for investigating and prosecuting any crimes in the country, and expressed appreciation that this was already being done.

The ICC Chief Prosecutor said the Court was not targeting Africa, but all cases in the continent, apart from Kenya, were originated by Africans, adding that this was good for the victims of such crimes.