Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, has stated that the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria is committed to domesticating the Rome Statute.
Malami stated this on Monday in The Hague, Netherlands, while delivering Nigeria’s Country Statement at the 21st session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
His spokesman, Umar Gwandu, confirmed this in a statement obtained by BizWatch Nigeria. According to the statement, Malami stated that the National Assembly is collaborating closely with his office to complete the Rome Statute domestication drive.
The minister stated that Nigeria firmly believes in the rule of law as a panacea for a just and equitable world, and that the country has continued to uphold its international legal obligations.
Malami stated that the Federal Government has not broken its promise to provide full cooperation to the Court’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) in investigating allegations of crimes against humanity committed within its borders.
“There has been increased exchange of communications between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the OTP, and Nigeria has appointed a Focal Point specifically designated to respond to all requests bothering on criminal law and prosecution issues,” he said.
According to Malami, the development has facilitated smooth interactions between Nigeria, the analysts, and the OTP’s International Cooperation Advisers.
He stated that Nigeria is working on a Memorandum of Understanding with the Prosecutor’s Office in order to address the grey areas of the alleged egregious crimes committed.
“I wish to also reiterate that Nigeria will continue to demonstrate strong political will to hold perpetrators of terrorism and other heinous crimes accountable, in line with our firm belief that protection of the fundamental rights of the victims of crimes against humanity are not negotiable,” he said.
The minister praised the Assembly for taking steps to strengthen the Court system, particularly in assessing the Group of Independent Experts’ recommendations, saying that “if we are to rid the world of impunity, a strong and stable International Criminal Court system is not negotiable.”
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