ICC, Human Right Organizations Fighting Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, has slammed some international organizations for allegedly constituting themselves into a “fighting force” against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mohammed listed the organizations to include the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Amnesty International, amongst others.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Lagos, the minister accused the organizations of conspiring against the Buhari administration to worsen challenges such as terrorism and banditry currently facing the country.

“…Nigeria is fending off attacks on many fronts, not just from terrorists and bandits, but also from some human rights organisations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) which seem to have colluded to exacerbate the challenges facing the country in the area of security.

“While our security agencies continue to battle these bandits and terrorists, the ICC and some international human rights organisations, especially Amnesty International, have constituted themselves to another ‘fighting force’ against Nigeria, constantly harassing our security forces and threatening them with investigation and possible prosecution over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

Mohammed, obviously, was referring to petitions written to the ICC against the Nigerian Government over the alleged shooting of unarmed #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll by Nigerian soldiers on October 10, 2020.

The ICC had said in October that it was monitoring developments from the Lekki shooing incident for possible prosecution.

THE WHISTLER, however, reports that the minister failed to provide any evidence to back his claim that the ICC and Amnesty international, amongst others, had colluded against the government.

The minister also alleged that some local media organizations were helping the foreign organizations to achieve their aim, “without weighing the impact of their constant threats on the security of the nation.”

He said, “Nigeria did not join the ICC so it can become a pawn on the court’s chessboard. It beggars belief to see that a nation that is fighting an existential war against bandits and terrorists is constantly being held down by an international body which it willingly joined.

“Nigeria is a sovereign state and will not surrender its sovereignty to any organization. ICC, Amnesty International, and their cohorts should desist from threatening our troops and putting the security of our country in jeopardy. Enough is enough.”

Mohammed further slammed the Financial Times over its recent editorial article, which warned that Nigeria risked becoming a “failed state” under Buhari’s leadership.

The international daily had noted in its editorial that, “In a country going backwards economically, carjacking, kidnapping and banditry are among Nigeria’s rare growth.”

But Mohammed, who did not directly mention the Financial Times, said “The federal government rejects this characterization of Nigeria as a ‘failing’ state, which is a combination of the wishful thinking of naysayers and the evil machinations of those who don’t wish Nigeria well.”

He said, “Recently, some jaundiced analysts and their lapdogs have sought to portray Nigeria as a failing state, on the strength of its security challenges. But these analysts are dead wrong. Nigeria is not and cannot be a failing or failed state. Of course, you would remember that for the past two decades or so, some pseudo-analysts have been predicting the country’s implosion. That has not happened; hence they have found a new tag line: failing or failed state!

“It’s all a ruse aimed at depicting Nigeria as being in a constant state of anarchy, just so they can achieve their nefarious objectives for the country.

“If Nigeria was not a ‘failing’ state when a large slice of its territory equivalent to the size of Belgium was under the occupation of Boko Haram, which collected taxes, installed and deposed emirs, is it now that no territory is under the terrorists that Nigeria will be a failing state?

“If Nigeria was not a failed state when bombs were raining on towns and cities in Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Yobe, FCT, and other states, is it now that such bombings have stopped that Nigeria will be described as a ‘failing’ state? If Nigeria was not a ‘failing’ state in those years that Christian and Muslim worshippers had to be screened to even enter their places of worship, is it now that the siege on places of worship has ceased that Nigeria will be described as a ‘failing’ state?”