The International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently investigating eight cases against Nigeria.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) acknowledged this on Wednesday while hosting a delegation from the Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Madame Fatou Bensouda, in his office in Abuja.

A report this morning in Daily Trust quoted Malami (SAN) as saying during the occasion that he was aware of the eight case files opened against Nigeria at the ICC which the prosecutor intends to investigate in her next stage of assessment of Nigeria.

The paper quoted the AGF as saying that six of the alleged cases were committed by the Boko Haram sect while the remaining two were by the Nigerian armed forces.

“Let me reiterate that Nigeria retains the sovereign capacity to investigate and punish the alleged crimes referred to in the report and will therefore continue present efforts in the above direction,” Malami (SAN) reportedly said.

According to the report, the AGF “added that the government was committed to ensuring that troops are guided by the rules of engagement, promising that any infractions would be severely dealt with. Malami solicited the support of the ICC and the international community, with regard to the conduct of the affairs of the Nigerian armed forces that have helped the world to deal with terrorism on the continent and restoring normalcy to the traumatised communities in the North-East.

“Responding, the leader of delegation, Mr. Phakiso Mocho Choko, said the prosecutor did not intend to compromise the sovereign rights of Nigeria in investigating crimes and meting out punishment. He said most cases referred to the ICC were the ones host nations were unable to resolve through internal mechanisms.”

•Photo shows ICC Prosecutor Madame Fatou Bensouda.

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