Is Nigeria next to dump the ICC? After Chad walked away from the global war crimes court, the US is now telling Nigeria and others to do the same.

Well, this is getting interesting.

The United States has urged Nigeria and other African countries signed up to the International Criminal Court to pull out, calling it a "flawed institution" that undermines national sovereignty.

The call came from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs in a post on X on Monday, right after Chad announced it was quitting the Rome Statute — the treaty that set up the ICC.

According to cbinews.tv, it’s part of a renewed push by President Donald Trump's administration against the Hague-based court, which Washington has long accused of politically motivated investigations.

Reacting to Chad's move, the Bureau said:

"The United States welcomes Chad's decision to withdraw from the ICC and join the growing number of nations reclaiming their sovereignty from this flawed institution. We encourage all states that are party to the Rome Statute to reconsider their membership in the ICC."

For context, Nigeria is one of 125 countries that are party to the Rome Statute. The ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

Chad formally kicked off its withdrawal process on Monday, joining Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — all military-led governments — who have also rejected the court's authority in recent months. Under the rules, a withdrawal takes effect one year after formal notification to the United Nations.

The US has been increasingly vocal in backing ICC exits, arguing the court has become politicised, and has even slapped sanctions on the ICC over investigations involving its allies, including Israel.

So, will Nigeria budge? Not so fast.

As reported by cbinews.tv, Nigeria has not indicated any intention to withdraw, and there has been no official response from the Federal Government to the latest American appeal.

The last time the ICC intervened in Nigeria's affairs was back in 2020 during the #EndSARS protests, when the court said it was monitoring the situation and warned security agencies against committing Rome Statute crimes. That followed a petition by SERAP's Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, asking then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to investigate reports that authorities used thugs and security agents to attack peaceful protesters.

One to watch.

Credit: cbinews.tv

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