No Complaint Against Me Before ICC, It’s A Plot To Divert ICC’s Attention From Pending Complaints — Falana, SAN

A foremost human rights activist and a lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, has said no criminal complaint was filed against him at the International Criminal Court.

The prominent lawyer disclosed this to TheNigerialawyer(TNL), on Wednesday while reacting to the alleged criminal complaint filed against him before the International Criminal Court, Hague by one Joseph Nwaegbu of Pathfind Attorneys. 

The learned silk said that a petition was submitted to ICC but no complaint against him yet. He also said those behind the massacre of 347 shittes are the masterminds of the complaint. 

According to him, the complaint against him is meant to divert the attention of ICC from the pending complaint regarding the shiites massacre.

“One of my clients, the Socio-Economic and Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) had earlier submitted a petition to the International Criminal Court against the authorities of the Nigerian Army for the brutal killing of peaceful protesters in Nigeria.

“Before then, a London based human rights group had submitted a petition over the massacre of 347 Shiites in December 2015 by the Nigerian Army.

“The suspects in both petitions believe that I instigated both petitions. Hence, this obnoxious rejoinder was hurriedly drafted and dispatched to the office of the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC to divert attention from the crime against humanity allegedly committed by those who opened fire on peaceful protesters in violation of international humanitarian law.”

Falana said the “ploy” will not work as ICC does not entertain frivolous Petitions

“But the cheap ploy will not work as the ICC does not entertain frivolous petitions that are anchored on conjecture or speculation.

“After all, the ICC is not unaware  of the fact that the suspects who committed arson and wilful damage to private and public properties in Lagos State and other places during the #endsars protests have been arrested, investigated and arraigned in criminal courts.”

Furthermore, he said the acknowledgment of the petition by ICC against him is not surprising because it is the tradition of ICC to accept all petitions

“I am however not surprised that the office of the Chief Prosecutor acknowledged the receipt of the groundless petition because it is  the practice of the ICC to formally accept all petitions including the most absurd and obnoxious.” he said

TNL recalls that Joseph Nwaegbu of Pathfind Attorneys has filed a criminal complaint against Femi Falana (SAN) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague, for allegedly instigating the #EndSARS protests, which he claimed, led to the killing of innocent citizens, destruction of property, among others.

The complaint dated 4th November 2020 was addressed to the Office of Madame Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor ICC by Nwaegbu, who claimed to be acting for his group, Make Nigeria Better Initiative (MNBI).

Nwaegbu alleged the role played by Falana before, during, and after what he described as “the mother of all protests in Nigeria” is not only ignoble but criminal.