The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a petition seeking an investigation into alleged “systemic kidnappings” in Nigeria as crimes against humanity.
The petition was dismissed on September 1 by Pre-Trial Chamber II of the ICC.
According to the decision published on the court’s website, its registrar transmitted the petition, filed by an unnamed individual, to the president of the pre-trial division on August 24, 2026.
The petition was titled, “Formal Communication Requesting Investigation into Systemic Kidnappings in Nigeria as Crimes Against Humanity.”
After it was assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber II on August 26, the three-member panel dismissed the petition, citing a lack of “any legal basis.”
The panel was presided over by Rosario Salvatore Aitala, alongside judges Sergio Godínez and Haykel Mahfoudh.
The development comes amid continued concerns over kidnapping and insecurity across Nigeria.
FG faults ICC process
Reacting to the development, Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, criticised the handling of the petition.
Fagbemi said it was improper for the president of the ICC’s pre-trial division to assign an unverified filing from an anonymous individual to the chamber without first determining whether the court had jurisdiction or whether the complaint was manifestly frivolous.
He argued that the authority to evaluate information or request an investigation rests with the ICC prosecutor, or through formal referrals by a state party or the United Nations Security Council.
The attorney-general said the Rome Statute does not empower the president of the pre-trial division or a pre-trial chamber to receive anonymous petitions or interfere in the internal security affairs of a sovereign state.
Fagbemi said such administrative handling of unverified complaints could undermine confidence in the ICC’s judicial processes and affect its relationship with Nigeria.
He, however, assured Nigerians that the ICC had not initiated any investigation against the Nigerian government or its institutions over the kidnapping allegations.