ADF calling for prosecution of Boko Haram Muslims over kidnappings

ADF International is filing a report with the International Criminal Court, urging it to conclude its preliminary investigations and to immediately start prosecuting members of Boko Haram who have been persecuting Christians in Nigeria. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has been investigating the situation in Nigeria since 2010.

Islamist terrorist groups systematically persecute Christians in Nigeria. The ongoing atrocities gained wider public attention when on April 14, 2014, the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State. While 57 escaped, the remaining 219 teenagers were reportedly forced into marriages or sold into slavery.

“On the sad second anniversary of the schoolgirls’ kidnapping, the girls of Chibok—like thousands of others—have not returned to their families. It’s clear that the situation in Nigeria is deteriorating,” said Paul Coleman, senior counsel and deputy director of ADF International. “Despite the global outcry against the atrocities that Christians are suffering at the hands of Boko Haram, little has been done. Urgent action is needed, not only to protect the innocent but to prosecute the perpetrators.”

The brutal abduction sparked the global campaign #BringBackOurGirls. It found unprecedented support among celebrities and world leaders, including David Cameron and Michelle Obama; however, two years later, the 219 teenagers have not been brought home, and Christians in Nigeria continue to encounter violence and religious discrimination.

“Our analysis clearly demonstrates that the crimes committed fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC,” said Ewelina Ochab, legal counsel with ADF International. “The ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria amounts to crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute. Our report outlines Nigeria’s current failure to protect its citizens and the urgent need for the international community to respond.”