The Principle of Complementarity Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Is Nigeria’s Trial of Boko Haram Suspects a Smoke Screen?

Abstract

Nigeria has been grappling with issues of insecurity, conflicts, disturbances and tensions for as long as we can remember. Boko Haram has been the most difficult armed group the Government of Nigeria has had to war against since the 1967 to 1970 Civil War. Nigeria has been unable to vanquish the Boko Haram terror group in the non-international armed conflict that has raged on for a decade now. Although, many of Boko Haram’s members have been arrested, for some reason, Nigeria has not shown enough will power to try these suspects for the many atrocious crimes committed during the armed conflict. This is even more disappointing when we consider that Nigeria is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This paper attempts to give some reasons for Nigeria’s lackadaisical attitude towards the crimes committed during the (ongoing) armed conflict in the North-east.