By Iro Dan Fulani
The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, and Dalung Foundation are set to drag President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian government to the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague for extra –judicial killings and other forms of human rights abuses.
The forum and foundation as well as other human rights groups said the President and other security chiefs are to be charged for extra-judicial killings by soldiers and strangulation of civilians in army barracks with the use of underground detention centres in the three north eastern states where emergency rule was imposed last year.
Solomon Dalung, a lawyer, who spoke for the groups in Yola, on Wednesday said that both the NEF and Dalung Foundation have received reports of extra-judicial killings by soldiers in parts of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe state.
He recalled that the Forum had set up the two committees of legal and security experts to investigate the details of the gruesome use of force against unarmed civilians in the affected states.
“In our investigations, we received reports of the two committees on Security and Legal Matters, regarding extra-judicial killings by soldiers and the act of strangulating civilians in military barracks using an underground detention centre, while depositing the corps in hospitals.
“We therefore resolved to harmonise the reports of the committees, preparatory to filing a case of extra-judicial killings by the Nigerian Army, he said
The groups called on the affected communities and families to provide details and information with pictures to its North east zone office in Yola.