The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed an anonymous petition seeking an investigation into alleged systemic kidnappings in Nigeria as crimes against humanity. The petition was thrown out by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II after the court determined that it was not properly before it and lacked a legal basis.

While the Federal Government welcomed the swift dismissal, it raised serious concerns over the court's administrative handling of the unverified filing. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, criticized the assignment of an anonymous, unverified document to a judicial chamber without a prior determination of its competence.

Minister Fagbemi reassured the public and the international community that no ICC investigation has been opened against Nigeria, nor has any adverse finding been made against the Nigerian government or its institutions. He maintained that tackling domestic criminal activities like kidnapping remains the sovereign constitutional responsibility of Nigeria's law enforcement agencies and judicial institutions.