Nigeria: ICC Dismisses Petition to Probe Nigeria Kidnappings

What the report says

The International Criminal Court has rejected a petition that sought an investigation into alleged systemic kidnappings in Nigeria as crimes against humanity. According to Vanguard, the filing was submitted by an unnamed individual and was dismissed on Sept. 1, 2026, by Pre-Trial Chamber II in The Hague for lacking a legal basis.

The ICC decision was issued by a three-judge panel led by Rosario Salvatore Aitala, with Sergio Godínez and Haykel Mahfoudh also on the chamber. The court’s registrar had transmitted the petition on Aug. 24, and it was assigned to the chamber two days later before being turned down. The case comes against the backdrop of continuing concern in Nigeria over frequent kidnapping incidents.

Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Lateef Fagbemi, criticised how the filing was handled, arguing that an anonymous submission should not have been assigned before questions of competence and admissibility were settled. He said internal procedures should not override the Rome Statute and warned that handling unverified complaints in this way could affect confidence in the court.

Fagbemi also said the ICC had not opened any investigation into the Nigerian government or its institutions over the petition. He reaffirmed that Nigeria wants to protect its sovereignty while continuing cooperation with international institutions under established legal processes.