Banditry: Northern group threatens to drag Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal to ICC
A northern advocacy group, the Northern Intelligentsia Network has threatened to petition the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague against Governor Dauda Lawal over his alleged failure to curb killings, abductions, and destruction by bandits in the state.
This is as the group called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in Zamfara State, warning that the worsening insecurity poses a grave threat to regional stability.
In a statement issued Saturday, the group’s President, Dr. Aminu Shehu, accused Governor Lawal of complicity, alleging that his inaction amounts to aiding and abetting the crisis.
“Governor Dauda Lawal has publicly admitted knowing the hideouts of these bandits, yet he appears reluctant to end the crisis by passing such intelligence to security agencies. Instead, he keeps making excuses about not having control over the police.
At a time when communities are being ravaged, withholding such critical intelligence is not just negligence—it is complicity,” the statement read.
The group argued that the governor’s stance violates both his constitutional duty to safeguard citizens and international humanitarian law.
It stressed that under the Rome Statute of the ICC, to which Nigeria is a party, systematic attacks on civilians qualify as crimes against humanity.
Quoting reports from Maradun, Anka, Shinkafi, and Tsafe LGAs, the group cited cases where women were raped, children mutilated, and entire villages burned.
“These are not isolated incidents—they are targeted assaults on vulnerable populations. Article 7 of the Rome Statute makes clear that a leader who knowingly permits such sustained attacks shares responsibility for them,” Dr. Shehu stated.
The group maintained that Governor Lawal’s public admissions reflect an abdication of responsibility.
“It is unacceptable for a sitting governor to confess knowledge of bandits’ hideouts while refusing to act or share intelligence. Such silence has only emboldened perpetrators and deepened the suffering of Zamfara residents,” it added.
According to the group, the governor’s posture undermines the Geneva Conventions, which compel state authorities to take all feasible steps to protect civilians in armed conflict.
“Other states facing similar challenges have devised creative solutions, from empowering local vigilante groups to improving intelligence-sharing. In Zamfara, however, the governor has chosen denial, blame-shifting, and silence,” Shehu alleged.
The group revealed that it is already assembling a team of Nigerian and international lawyers to file a petition at the ICC. The petition, it said, will include victim testimonies, reports from humanitarian organisations, and evidence of Governor Lawal’s alleged refusal to act.
“Under the principle of command responsibility enshrined in the Rome Statute, leaders who enable or fail to prevent atrocities must be held accountable,” the statement noted.
Warning that international accountability is now inevitable, the group declared “When leaders become part of the problem, when they normalise bloodshed through inaction, they must answer before international tribunals. Zamfara is fast becoming a killing field, and if urgent steps are not taken, this violence will spread across the North-West and beyond.”
The statement concluded with a call on civil society, religious leaders, and the international community to rally behind victims of banditry in Zamfara.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of this slow genocide. International humanitarian law is clear: leaders who enable or tolerate atrocities must be held to account,” it said.
Banditry: Northern group threatens to drag Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal to ICC
