The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami to liaise with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on whether substantial grounds exist to probe Nigerian lawmakers.
SERAP said this while accusing the leadership and members of the National Assembly of allegedly engaging in crimes against millions of Nigerians by unilaterally cutting funding for critical projects such as health, water, education, housing and security, and replacing such projects with their own personal projects totalling 6,403 projects and amounting to N578 billion.
The organization said, “the National Assembly cut funding for over 4,000 critical projects amounting to N347 billion.”
President Buhari had on Wednesday during signing of the budget, complained of alterations made by the lawmakers.
In a statement on Thursday by SERAP deputy director, Timothy Adewale, the organization said, “Indicting individual lawmakers suspected to be most responsible for the reduction of funding for critical projects would provide a much-needed measure of accountability for leaders who have traditionally acted with impunity, assured that they will never be held to answer for their actions. Cutting funding for essential public services such as health, education and security constitutes a serious human rights violation and potentially rises to the level of crimes against humanity against the Nigerian people.
“The deliberate and systematic acts of alleged budget padding and cutting of funding by the lawmakers coupled with the widespread negative consequences of such acts for millions of Nigerians across the country point to not only allegations of corruption but also crimes against humanity, that is, deliberately withholding access of Nigerians to essential and life-saving public services, which is triable at the International Criminal Court.
“Apart from pursuing a possible crime against humanity prosecution before the ICC, President Buhari should also move swiftly to enforce the judgment delivered last month by Justice Mohammed Idris in suit no: FHC/L/CS/1821/2017 ordering the President to ask anti-corruption agencies to forward to him reports of their investigations into allegations of padding and stealing of some N481 billion from the 2016 budget, and to ensure effort prosecution of suspects.
“It is the failure to decisively address allegations of padding of the 2016 budget that has allowed the practice to continue with almost absolute impunity. Combating impunity of lawmakers for allegations of budget padding is important for ending the practice and deterring future lawmakers from using their legislative functions as a weapon for promoting personal gains and denying Nigerians access to critical and life-saving public services.
“Crimes against humanity invoke criminal responsibility. Although the authorities bear the responsibility for violations of the rights to health, water, education and security, it is possible to hold individuals responsible for massive and grave violations of these human rights through the operation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to which Nigeria is a state party. Nigeria deposited its instrument of ratification on 27 September 2001.
“Those suspected of using legislative powers to allocate resources for personal gains and as an instrument to violate Nigerians’ human rights should be as guilty as those who commit traditional systematic and widespread crimes against the population, particularly the socially and economically vulnerable sectors of the population.
“SERAP notes that the Office of the Prosecutor’s Policy Paper on Case Selection and Prioritization, 2016, states that the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC will select cases for investigation and prosecution in light of the gravity of the crimes, the degree of responsibility of the alleged perpetrators and the potential charges.
“The impact of crimes may be assessed based inter-alia on the suffering endured by the victims and their increased vulnerability, the terror subsequently instilled, or the social and economic damage inflicted on the affected communities. The Office will give particular consideration to crimes such as the illegal exploitation of natural resources.
“Crimes against humanity can be committed in peacetime. The requisite intention to inflict inhumane acts is satisfied when the alleged perpetrator had the intention to inflict serious physical or mental suffering or knew that the act or omission was likely to cause a serious attack upon the human dignity.”
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