A northern civil society group, the Northern Intelligentsia Network (NIN), has vowed to file a petition at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, over alleged complicity in the wave of killings, kidnappings, and destruction caused by armed bandits in the state.
In a statement issued on Friday by its president, Dr Aminu Shehu, the group accused Lawal of “aiding and abetting crimes against humanity” through his actions and inactions — and warned that his recent public comments had further confirmed their suspicions of culpability.
“Governor Dauda Lawal has openly admitted that he knows where the bandits are operating from, yet he has refused to provide this intelligence to security agencies,” Shehu said. “Such deliberate withholding of critical information, at a time when communities are being ravaged, amounts to aiding and abetting. It is not merely negligence — it is complicity.”
According to NIN, the governor’s conduct violates both his constitutional duty to protect lives and property and provisions of international humanitarian law designed to safeguard civilians during conflict.
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“Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the widespread and systematic targeting of civilians constitutes crimes against humanity,” the group said. “By withholding actionable intelligence and failing to mobilise effective countermeasures, Governor Lawal has crossed the threshold into culpable complicity.”
The group cited reports from communities in Maradun, Anka, Shinkafi, and Tsafe local government areas, where women have been raped, children mutilated, and villages burnt to the ground.
“These atrocities are not isolated incidents — they are systematic and targeted against vulnerable civilian populations,” Shehu added. “Article 7 of the Rome Statute is explicit: a leader who knowingly permits such sustained attacks shares responsibility for them.”
Group says silence emboldens bandits
The group said Lawal’s public admission of knowing bandits’ hideouts, without acting on the information, amounts to an abdication of responsibility that has emboldened the attackers and worsened the suffering of Zamfara’s residents.
It also argued that the governor’s stance violates the Geneva Conventions, which require state authorities to take all feasible measures to protect civilians in conflict situations.
“Other states have adopted creative strategies — from empowering local vigilantes to enhancing intelligence-sharing — but Zamfara’s governor has chosen denial, blame-shifting, and silence,” NIN stated.
The group revealed that it is already assembling a team of Nigerian and international lawyers to file a petition at the ICC, including testimonies from victims, humanitarian reports, and evidence of the governor’s alleged failure to act.
“Under the doctrine of command responsibility recognised by the Rome Statute, political leaders who enable or fail to prevent atrocities can and must be held accountable,” Shehu said. “When leaders normalise slaughter through inaction, they must answer before international tribunals.”
NIN also urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene decisively, warning that the Zamfara crisis threatens wider regional stability.
“Zamfara is becoming a killing field. If nothing is done, the violence will spill further into the North-West and beyond,” Shehu warned.
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The group concluded by calling on civil society, religious leaders, and the international community to stand with victims.
“We cannot afford silence in the face of this slow genocide. Governor Lawal’s refusal to act has placed him squarely within the bracket of those who must be held accountable,” it said.
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