The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a petition seeking an investigation into alleged systemic kidnappings in Nigeria as crimes against humanity.
The petition, titled “Formal Communication Requesting Investigation into Systemic Kidnappings in Nigeria as Crimes Against Humanity,” was dismissed by Pre-Trial Chamber II of the ICC on September 1, 2026.
According to TheCable, the filing was made by an unnamed individual and transmitted by the Court’s Registrar to the President of the Pre-Trial Division on August 24.
It was subsequently assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber II on August 26.
The three-member panel, comprising Rosario Salvatore Aitala, Sergio Godínez and Haykel Mahfoudh, however, dismissed the petition after finding that it lacked a legal basis.
The development attracted a reaction from the Federal Government, with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, questioning the procedure through which the anonymous filing was assigned to the Chamber.
Fagbemi argued that an unverified filing from an anonymous person ought not to have been assigned to the Pre-Trial Chamber without first determining whether the Chamber had jurisdiction to entertain it and whether the communication was manifestly frivolous.
The Attorney-General maintained that under the Rome Statute, authority to assess information for possible investigation rests principally with the Office of the Prosecutor, subject to the procedures established by the Statute.
He also stressed that the dismissal did not amount to the opening of an investigation against Nigeria, its government or institutions.
The case comes amid continuing concern over kidnapping and mass abductions across several parts of Nigeria, placing renewed attention on the country’s domestic criminal justice and security response to the menace.
Although the ICC has now dismissed the particular petition, the development has generated significant legal discussion around the jurisdiction of the international court, the procedural requirements for triggering its intervention and Nigeria’s obligations under the Rome Statute.
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