Jos violence: Nigerian govt urged to surrender perpetrators to ICC

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - With the death toll from the Christmas Eve bombings in Nigeria's northern city of Jos now 80, a Nigerian civil society group has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to surrender the perpetrators to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague for prosecution, ''as the court is already investigating the international crimes being committed in Jos''.

In a statement issued Tuesday and made available to PANA here, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged the President to “show strong leadership'' in the face of increasing violence in Jos by urgently arresting and surrendering suspected perpetrators to the court.

“In the end, it all boils down to how far this government is willing to go for the fight against impunity in Jos, how badly it wishes to see crimes against humanity being committed there punished, and what the government is willing to sacrifice for the sake of the victims and their families.

''We hope that President Jonathan will meet this challenge head on, and exercise the required political will to make the arrest and transfer of perpetrators to the ICC happen,” the organization said.

The Christmas Eve bombings targeted churches and landmarks in the violatile city, and created panic among residents.

Reprisal attacks by angry youths in the aftermath of the bombing have left many houses and business in ruins.

A previously unknown Islamic group, Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad, has claimed responsibility for the attacks, raising fears about the resurgent of ethno-religious clashes that have left about 600 dead (including the latest casualties) this year alone in Plateau, of which Jos is capital.
-0- PANA SEG 28Dec2010