SERAP Urges ICC To Declare Students Abduction a Crime Against Humanity

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has petitioned the International Criminal Court, ICC, to investigate the escalating cases of student abduction in various parts of Northern Nigeria, including the recent abduction in Zamfara State.

SERAP also urged it to investigate school closures and Nigerian authorities at both the Federal and State levels’ chronic inability to end abductions, which are deemed crimes against humanity under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

The organization urged Mr Karim A. A. Khan, QC, Prosecutor, in a petition dated September 4, 2021, addressed to Mr Karim A. A. Khan, QC, Prosecutor, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, to push for those suspected of being responsible and complicit in the commission of those serious crimes to be invited and tried by the ICC.

The appeal came following a succession of abductions and school closures in several parts of Nigeria, including the recent shutdown of schools in Zamfara State after gunmen seized dozens of pupils from a state-run high school in Maradun District.

In the words of SERAP: “Depriving children their right to education has severe consequences for their ability to access their fundamental rights.

“The severe and lifelong harms that result from depriving children of the right to education satisfy the gravity of harm threshold under the Rome Statute.

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“The persistent failure by Nigerian authorities to end the widespread and systemic abductions, and to provide safe and enabling learning environments for Nigerian children to enjoy their right to quality education amounts to crimes against humanity, which fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC.”

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“While the Nigerian authorities have the primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute the alleged crimes of abduction of students, they have repeatedly failed and/or neglected to do so.”

“The absence of any tangible and relevant investigation or prosecution in Nigeria suggests that the authorities are unwilling or unable to carry out genuine investigation or prosecution of those suspected to be responsible for and complicit in the abduction of students.”

“The consequences of persistent abductions of students, closure of schools, and the failure to provide safe and enabling learning environments despite federal and state authorities yearly budgeting some N241.2 billion of public funds as “security votes”, are similar to those of the offences in article 7(1).”

“Senior government officials know well or ought to know that their failure to prevent these crimes will violate the children’s human rights and dignity.”

“SERAP is concerned about the growing reports of abduction of Nigerian students and closure of schools in several parts of Nigeria. As Nigeria is a State Party to the Rome Statute, the ICC has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity committed on the territory of Nigeria or by its nationals.”

“SERAP therefore urges you to conclude that on the basis of available information, the acts of abduction of students and closure of schools in many parts of Northern Nigeria constitute crimes against humanity within the meaning of the Rome Statute of the ICC.”

“The ICC should recognize depriving children including girls of the right to education is an inhumane act under Article 7 that brings comparable suffering and harm to its victims as other crimes against humanity.”

“The OTP’s Policy on Children recognizes that children are an “identifiable group or collectivity” and “targeting [them] on the basis of age or birth may be charged as persecution on ‘other grounds.

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“SERAP believes that substantial grounds exist to warrant the intervention of the Prosecutor in this case, as provided for under Article 17 of the Rome Statute.”

“More than 10,000 schools have been reportedly closed in at least seven northern states over the fear of attack and abduction of pupils and members of staff. The states are Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Niger and Yobe.

“Schools in Nigeria’s north-western Zamfara State have been ordered closed after scores of students were abducted by gunmen from a state-run high school in Zamfara’s Maradun district.

“Among the string of abductions in Zamfara was the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in the town of Jangebe in February. The latest abduction comes after widespread reports of abduction of students and closure of schools in many states of Nigeria, including in north-central Niger State where some 91 schoolchildren were abducted.

“An estimated 1.3 million Nigerian children have been affected by frequent raids on schools by suspected terrorists. Some 13 million Nigerian children are out of school nationwide.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 1,000 students have been abducted from schools in northern Nigeria since December 2020.”

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“Families and parents have reportedly resulted to paying the terrorists thousands of dollars as ransom to secure the release of their children.

“An estimated $18.34 million was reportedly paid in ransoms between June 2011 and the end of March 2020.

“Nigerian authorities have also failed and/or neglected to satisfactorily address the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014, which prompted the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

According to reports, more than 100 of those girls are still missing.

“Also, pursuant to the Rome Statute, the Prosecutor has the power to intervene in a situation under the jurisdiction of the Court if the Security Council or states parties refer a situation or if information is provided from other sources such as the information SERAP is providing in this case.”

SERAP therefore urged Mr Khan, among others, to launch an independent investigation into the widespread and systematic problem of abductions of Nigerian students, failures to provide a safe learning environment, and persistent school closures, in order to compel Nigerian authorities to ensure that Nigerian children are afforded their rights to life, dignity, and quality education.