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Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan and Sudanese President
Omer Hassan Al-Bashir during AU health summit
The Nigerian government has claimed it was deliberating on actions to be taken regarding the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir during his visit to Abuja last month according to a formal filing by Abuja released today.
Al-Bashir had attended a health summit organized by the African Union (AU) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
Nigeria being a member of the Hague-based court was theoretically obligated to apprehend the Sudanese leader during his stay but the country had refused on grounds that it was adhering to AU resolutions directing member states not to execute the warrants against Bashir.
The visit drew the ire of rights groups inside and outside Nigeria who argued that Nigeria was in breach of its international obligations under the Rome Statute.
The Nigeria Coalition on the International Criminal Court (NCICC) filed a motion during Bashir's short stay with the federal high court in Abuja seeking a domestic arrest warrant for him.
According to Nigeria-based Guardian newspaper, "hurriedly left the VIP room amidst heavy security while the main conference was going on at the main hall" and apparently headed to the airport”.
In a filing submitted to ICC judges the Nigerian government wrote ,"President Al-Bashir made a brief appearance at the opening of the AU summit and without delivering any statement, left the country" said the letter which was signed by Nigeria's Justice minister Mohammed Bello Adoke who is also the country's Attorney General.
It is not clear if Al-Bashir was tipped off on the thinking of the Nigerian government thus pushing him to rush home.
