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Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently refer the situation in Benue and other states to the International Criminal Court, ICC, for the court to exercise its jurisdiction over the violeence and unlawful killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in the state.
SERAP says referring the Benue situation to the International Criminal Court, ICC, would demonstrate Tinubu’s commitment to combating human rights crisis in the state.
The Eastern Updates recalls that Professor James Ayatse, the Tor Tiv and the state’s paramount ruler had Told Tinubu during his visit that the attacks in Benue were calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits, which has been going on for decades.
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In a letter dated 21 June 2025 and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Your government has a primary responsibility to ensure accountability and justice and reparations for grave human rights crimes.”
“Referring the situation in Benue state to the ICC would contribute to achieving your expressed commitment to ‘hunt down the perpetrators of the attacks and bring them to justice, deliver justice for victims and restore peace in the state.’”
“Accountability for these brutal mass killings is urgently needed, regardless of whether the perpetrators are state-actors or non-state actors or both.”
“Any reluctance to refer the situation in Benue to the ICC would continue to embolden perpetrators—state actors and non-state actors alike to continue to attack the people of the state with impunity. Many of those responsible for these brutal attacks have continued to evade justice.”
“Given the alleged complicity of state actors in the situation in Benue and other states witnessing cases of serious human rights violations and crimes under international law, domestic avenues have shown to be both insufficient and inadequate to achieve accountability and justice to the victims and their families,” among others.
