News: Why we cannot arrest Sudanese president

The federal government on Monday issued a statement giving reasons why it will not enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) order to arrest Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir. It says the event for which President Al-Bashir has come is an AU summit and that Nigeria is just hosting it.

The government’s position was made known by spokesman to President Goodluck Jonathan, Reuben Abati.

The ICC had issued two warrants against al-Bashir over the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region, where government forces and local Arab militias have been pitted against rebels drawn mainly from non-Arab populations.

Reuben Abati added that, “It’s not Nigeria that invited him. He’s not here on a bilateral visit. He’s here to participate in an AU summit, and Nigeria is not in a position to determine who attends an AU event and who does not attend … Nigeria is just providing the platform for the meeting.”

Source: The Scoop