Polls Violence In Lagos: Rhodes-Vivour Drags Tinubu, Buhari, Sanwo-Olu To ICC

Lagos State governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has dragged the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari; the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba; and the Chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages, (LASPG), Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, The Netherlands, over “organized crimes against humanity” before, during and after the just concluded elections in the state.

Also dragged to the ICC are the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Idowu Owohunwa; Femi Fani Kayode, Bayo Onanuga, Sam Omatseye, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, Reno Omokri, Dele Alake, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, and a traditional ruler; the Baale of Igbara Jakande area in Eti-osa Local government area of Lagos State, among others.

In a petition dated March 30, 2023 and addressed to the Office of the Prosecutor, ICC, to the attention of Karim A. A. Khan QC, the Prosecutor of the Court, Rhodes-Vivour said the respondents “…jointly and collectively incited genocide and tribal conflicts in Nigeria during and around the 2023 general elections in Lagos State, Nigeria; and which incitement has resulted in deaths, grievous bodily harm and injuries, destruction of lives and properties.”

The petition was filed on behalf of the LP guber candidate, his Deputy, Princess Abiodun Oyefusi, and others respectively, by a group of lawyers under the auspices of “National Lawyers Coalition for Peter Obi”.

“A few days before the election day, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu while addressing his supporters during a town hall meeting ordered his party members and his thugs to violently grab, snatch and run away with ballot boxes during elections; the plan was to denied Peter Obi and other Labour Party candidates their popular mandate. It might be argued that this conduct does not fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC, it is however evidence that the said conduct resulted in several casualties and fatalities to individuals,” Rhodes-Vivour stated.

“Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inciting rhetoric about other ethnic groups living in Lagos State is largely responsible for the obvious suppression, oppression, attacks and killings witnessed during the recently concluded general elections in Nigeria.”

Rhodes-Vivour alleged that members of the LP were attacked during a political rally in Lagos on February 11, 2023 by suspected members and political thugs of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that they acted on the command of Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu.

“The eerie silence, or rather the acquiescence of the Mr Sanwo-Olu the Executive Governor of Lagos State shows that he is complicit. There has not been any arrest made, and no one has been held responsible for these crimes. Mr. MC Oluomo is the Head Lagos State Park Management Agency which is a political appointment of the government of Lagos State; he was seen making open threats against people of other ethnic groups living in Lagos, there are videos of him inciting hate and violence against targeted individuals during the just concluded general elections in Lagos State. These proofs of organized crimes against humanity.”

According to the petitioner (Rhodes-Vivour), apart from the attacks the opposition supporters suffered before and during the elections, on March 19, 2023, following the conclusion of the gubernatorial and other elections in the state, the attacks continued after various ethnic baiting tweets by Onanuga, Fani Kayode, Omokri and others.

He posited that these tweets had fuelled election and post-election violence against individuals from the specific ethnic group who were the target of the incitements, and therefore must be treated as crimes against humanity.

“The promotion of attacks and violence against targeted groups residing in a particular area is a clear violation of international law which falls within the jurisdiction of the ICC. The ICC is hereby called upon to take action and to prevent a repeat, and also to hold the perpetrators to account. The comments on their social media handles are nothing other than hate speech,” he argued.

Rhodes-Vivour stated that Buhari is joined to the proceeding by virtue of the office he occupies as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Chief Security Officer of the country.

“No relief is sought against him, save and in the event of him opposing this proceeding, in which event, it is totally the discretion of the Prosecutor to make a value judgment on whether or not to extent the investigation to his office. It should however be noted that during the current campaign period, Mr. Buhari as commander in chief of the armed forces has not been responsive to all the crimes and atrocities happening under his watch,” he said.