Appraisal of the on going Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria. In the light of International Criminal law: insurgency in Nigeria and the Rome Statute

      Аннотация: Boko Haram is a religious fundamentalist sect that emerged in Nigeria in 2002. It began proselytising against western education and radicalised into a violent terrorist group in 2009. Today, Boko Haram has become a real threat to the unity, growth and development of Nigeria and have attracted global attention. The central concern of this thesis is to ascertain whether any International Crimes have been committed in the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria snd if so, whether the International criminal Court (ICC ) can prosecute the crimes. While conceding that the bombing and gun attacks by the Boko Haram sect do not amount to genocide since they do not envince specific intent to destroy in whole or in part any national, racial, ethnic or religious group as such, this thesis argues that the omission of the Government of Nigeria to stop the insurgency and avoid the massacres of Nigerians may satisfy the actus reus and the mens rea required for finding of genocide. This thesis shows that both Government forces and the Insurgents have committed crimes against himanity to wit: murder, persecution, deportation or forcilble transfer, imprisonment or other severe deprivation.

Ключевые слова: Nigeria, Government forces, Boko Haram, religious sect, Genocide, crime