Reject Buhari’s move to shield Buratai from ICC investigation – PDP tells Senate

Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of trying to shield ex-Service Chiefs from being investigated by the International Criminal Court, ICC.

This followed the nomination of ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd) as non-career ambassadors-designate and forwarding of same to the Senate as non-career ambassador- designate.  

The nomination has been met with criticism from Nigerians including the opposition party that has urged the Senate to reject it..

A statement by PDP on its Twitter handle lamented that the Buhari-led administration was trying to use ambassadorial immunity to shield Buratai from ICC’s investigation.

The tweet reads: “@OfficialPDPNig firmly rejects plots by the @MBuhari Presidency and the @OfficialAPCNg to use the decoy of ambassadorial appointments to shield the immediate past service chiefs from investigation over alleged killing of innocent Nigerians and crimes against humanity under their inglorious watch.

“The @OfficialPDPNig charges the Senate to eschew all partisan considerations and stand on the side of the people, particularly the victims of the atrocious regime of the ex-service chiefs by outrightly rejecting the demand by President @MBuhari to confirm them as ambassadors.

“It is indeed sacrilegious and a horrible assault on the sensibility of Nigerians that the @OfficialAPCNg government is seeking to use ambassadorial appointments as desperate measure to secure diplomatic immunity for the former commanders and protect them from investigation, arrest and possible prosecution by the @IntlCrimCourt for the atrocities committed against innocent Nigerians under their command.

“The @OfficialPDPNig asserts that appointing the former service chiefs as ambassadors would confer diplomatic immunity on them and provide them a route for escape.”

PDP also noted that nominating Buratai at a time ICC declared its readiness to probe his alleged “involvement in the crime against humanity in our country, appears to further validate the allegations against them.”