The International Criminal Court and the Nigerian Crisis: An Inquiry into the Boko Haram Ideology and Practices from an Islamic Law Perspective

(visited 19 September 2013).

3^ See Office of the Prosecutor, ‘Report on Preliminary Examination Activities 2012’, available online at (visited 9 September 2013), at para. 93.

4^ See The Office of the Prosecutor, ‘Situation in Nigeria Article 5 Report’, available online at (visited 18 September 2013), at para. 15.

5^ Ibid at para. 15 and see also paras 46-51

6^ Office of the Prosecutor, supra n 3, at paras 214-218.

7^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, ‘Boko Haram and Jihad in Nigeria’ (2012) 40 South African Journal of Military Studies 1-21, at 7. See also The Office of the Prosecutor, supra n 3, at para.18.

8^ Brinkel and Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 8.

9^ Ibid.

10^ Ibid.

11^ Ibid; See also CRS Report for Congress, ‘Nigeria: Current Issues’, available online at (visited 19 June 2013), 11.

12^ O Osumah, ‘Boko Haram Insurgency in Northern Nigeria and the Vicious Cycle of Internal Insecurity’ (2013) 24:3 Small Wars and Insurgencies 536-560, 537.

13^ I Aghedo and O Osumah, ‘The Boko Haram Uprising: How Should Nigeria Respond?’(2012) 33:5 Third World Quarterly 853-869.

14^ A Epelle, ‘Challenges and Solutions to Ethno-religious Conflicts in Nigeria: Case Study of the Jobs Crisis’ (2011) 13:5 Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 109-124, 109.

15^ FC Onuoha, ‘The Islamist Challenge: Nigeria’s Boko Haram Crisis Explained’ (2010) 19 African Security Review 54-67, at 54. See also GJ Weimann, Islamic Criminal Law in Northern Nigeria: Politics, Religion, Judicial Practice (Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam 2010), 147.

16^ The Office of the Prosecutor, supra n 3, at para. 77-80.

17^ O Agbaje, ‘The US Intelligence Report’, The Guardian, Tuesday 14 June 2005, 65.

18^ O Osumah, supra n 12.

19^ D Isaacs, ‘Islam in Nigeria: simmering tensions’, BBC News, 24 September 2003. Available at (visited 9 September 2013).

20^ See T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 5; R Loimeier, ‘Boko Haram: The Development of a Militant Religious Movement in Nigeria’ (2012) 2-3 African Spectrum 137-155; O Osumah, supra n 12 and D Agbiboa, ‘Why Boko Haram Exists: The Relative Deprivation Perspective’ (2013) 3:1 African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review 144-157.

21^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 10; On the establishment and development of Boko Haram, see generally O Osumah, supra n 12 and JP Pham, ‘Boko Haram’s Evolving Threat’ (2012) 20 Africa Security Brief 1-8.

22^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 10.

23^ Ibid.

24^ FC Onuoha, supra n 15, 60.

25^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 11.

26^ BBC News, ‘Abubakar Shekau of Nigeria's Boko Haram “may be dead”’, 19 August 2013.Available online at (visited 19 September 2013). A Nigerian intelligence report stated that Shekau was shot on 30 June 2013 when soldiers raided a Boko Haram base at Sambisa Forest in north-eastern Nigeria and died in July or August 2013. However, Boko Haram has not commented on this report.

27^ FC Onuoha, supra n 15, 55.

28^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 10.

29^ Ibid.

30^ FC Onuoha, supra n 15, 56.

31^ Ibid, 58.

32^ Ibid, 62.

33^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 9; A Walker, ‘What is Boko Haram?’(United States Institute for Peace, Washington, 2012), available online at (visited 9 September 2013), 6.

34^ FC Onuoha, supra n 15, 63.

35^ Ibid, 56.

36^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 12.

37^ Ibid; FC Onuoha, supra n 15, 57.

38^ Ibid; GJ Weimann, supra n 15, 147; and A Walker, supra n 33, 1.

39^ H O Yusuf, ‘Harvest of Violence: The Neglect of Basic Rights and the Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria’, (2013) 6:3 Critical Studies on Terrorism 371-391. T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 11.

40^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 11.

41^ A Walker, supra n 33, 7.

42^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 11.

43^ Ibid.

44^ Ibid.

45^ FC Onuoha, supra n 15, 57.

46^ Office of the Prosecutor, supra n 3, at paras 81-83.

47^ T Brinkel and S Ait-Hida, supra n 7, 2.

48^ Office of the Prosecutor, supra n 3, at para 82; A Walker, supra n 33, 6.

49^ Ibid.

50^ Ibid; A Walker, supra n 33, 13.

51^ Ibid.

52^ See International Institute for Strategic Studies, ‘Nigeria’s emergency: countering Boko Haram’ (2013) 19, Comment 23.

53^ There are fears that serious human rights abuses are being committed under the cover of the Task Force. See ibid, 1.

54^Ibid, 1.

55^ See Ibid, 1.

56^ Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice 2013.

57^ Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).

58^ Institute for Security Studies, ‘Why Nigeria Needs a Criminal Tribunal and Not Amnesty for Boko Haram’, 24 June 2013, available online at