Threat on Ndigbo: ICC begins probe of Oba of Lagos
Emmanuel Ikechukwu
Reports reaching our news desk indicate that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may have commenced investigation on the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, for allegedly threatening to sink the Igbo residing in Lagos State into the lagoon, if they failed to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the April 11, 2015 governorship election in the state.
Dr. Josef Umunnakwe Onoh, had petitioned the ICC over the Oba's alleged threat and urged the world jury to investigate the threat and bring the monarch to justice for conceiving to annihilate the Igbo race over election matters.
The ICC had earlier in the year, acknowledged receipt of Onoh's petition and promised to give consideration to his request.
In the second correspondence to Onoh, with reference number OTP-CR-140/15, and dated August 13, 2015, ICC's Head of Information and Evidence Unit in the office of the prosecutor, M. P. Dillion, said they were analyzing the situation identified in the petition, with the assistance of other related communications and other available information.
Part of the ICC's latest letter to Onoh read: “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.”
The Oba of Lagos was reported to have threatened to throw the Igbo into Lagos lagoon, if they failed to vote for the governorship candidate of the APC, Akinwumi Ambode, and Onoh vowed to present Oba Akiolu's threat before the ICC and subsequently made real his vow through a petition dated April 21, 2015.
Acknowledging receipt of the petition, the ICC Head of Information and Evidence Unit, Dillon, had said: “This communication has been duly entered in the communications register of the office.”
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