The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to domesticating the Rome Statute, according to Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Malami made this clear on Monday in The Netherlands when he read Nigeria’s County Statement at the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court’s 21st session in The Hague.
His spokesperson, Umar Gwandu, told journalists in a statement. Malami said in the statement that his office and the National Assembly are collaborating diligently to complete the Rome Statute’s domestication campaign.
Malami pointed out that the Federal Government has not reneged on its pledge to extend maximum cooperation to the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the Court in addressing the allegation of crimes against humanity committed within its territory.
“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,”
“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 commended the Assembly for the measures taken to strengthen the Court system, especially assessing the Recommendations of the Group of Independent Experts maintaining that “if we are indeed, to rid the world of impunities, a strong and stable International Criminal Court system is not negotiable”.