Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal for crimes against humanity for his willful refusal to pursue the killers of Deborah Samuel, a Christian female student at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto. Recall that Deborah Samuel was stoned to death in May 2022 by students believed to be her classmates for purported blasphemy, but the Sokoto State government has not convicted anyone in connection with the murder.
In its petition to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, HURIWA reportedly stated, “Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, hereby makes this petition to the International Criminal Court, ICC, pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute, which Nigeria has already ratified.”
The petition demanded that Governor Tambuwal, who was the governor of Sokoto State at the time Deborah was murdered, be apprehended and prosecuted.
The petition stated, “The right to life of every Nigerian citizen is guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, unless otherwise provided.”
“The blasphemy prohibition in Section 204 of the Criminal Code fails the constitutionality test in light of the freedom of religion and free speech guarantees in Sections 38 and 39 of the Constitution, respectively.
“Although criminal prosecution is the responsibility of the Nigeria Police, led by a Commissioner of Police in each State of the Federation of Nigeria, each State Governor, as Chief Security Officer of his State, exercises operational control over the Police in his or her State through the aforementioned State Police Commissioners.
“Each state in Nigeria, including Sokoto State, has a Ministry of Justice led by an Attorney-General with full prosecutorial authority over offenses committed in his state, such as murder.
“Therefore, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, the governor of Sokoto at the time, bears the ultimate responsibility for apprehending and prosecuting the fanatics who assassinated Miss Deborah Samuel.
“The danger posed by Mr. Tambuwal’s lackadaisical handling of this extremely grave moral and criminal dilemma presented by the murder of Miss Deborah Samuel is that it will encourage other criminals to commit this type of crime with impunity.
In light of the preceding, HURIWA urged the ICC to promptly arrest and prosecute Mr. Tambuwal.”
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