ICC Lawyer Accuses Nigerian Presidential Candidate Muhammadu Buhari of Inciting Violence

Strategic Insights -

Nigerian presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari could face charges of inciting violence after a human rights lawyer claimed to have evidence showing that Buhari instigated the rioting and murderous mobs that followed the 2011 elections. Goran Sluiter, a human rights lawyer at the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleged that Buhari's supporters burned administrative buildings, churches, and killed Christians with sticks and machetes after Jonathan's win in 2011. The violence resulted in an estimated 800 deaths and over 65,000 displaced.

Key Takeaways:

  • Goran Sluiter, a human rights lawyer at the ICC, claims to have evidence showing that Muhammadu Buhari instigated the 2011 riots in Nigeria.
  • The riots resulted in an estimated 800 deaths and over 65,000 displaced.
  • Buhari's supporters, concentrated in the country's predominantly Muslim Northern states, began to riot after it became clear that Jonathan had won a majority of votes in 2011.
  • Buhari was criticized for his failure to condemn the violence in 2011, with activists claiming he actively encouraged violence in the wake of his electoral defeat.
  • Buhari has already stoked tension between Nigeria's Christian and Muslim communities by calling for the introduction of "total" Sharia law and threatening further violence if 'vote rigging' occurs.
  • Video recordings reviewed by Sluiter contain references to lynching and killing.

Statistics:

  • Estimated 800 people killed in the 2011 riots in Nigeria.
  • Over 65,000 people displaced in the 2011 riots in Nigeria.
  • 2011 elections internationally recognized as free and fair.
  • Muhammadu Buhari's supporters burned administrative buildings, churches, and killed Christians with sticks and machetes.
  • Buhari retreated to 2011, calling for the introduction of "total" Sharia law and threatening further violence if 'vote rigging' occurs.

Sources:

  • Associated Press
  • Goran Sluiter
  • University of Amsterdam
  • M2 Communications
  • Presswire.com
  • International Criminal Court (ICC)
  • Muhammadu Buhari