Former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has cautioned against efforts to weaken the International Criminal Court, saying any move to undermine the tribunal could erode global accountability for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Sani gave the warning in a post on his verified X account on Tuesday while reacting to comments by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who criticised the ICC and accused it of encroaching on U.S. sovereignty.
According to the former lawmaker, dismantling or weakening the international court would leave countries to investigate and prosecute their own citizens for international crimes, a situation he suggested could undermine impartial justice.
“Once they succeed in destroying the International Criminal Court, the only Court they will recognise and use to try genocide and Crime against humanity committed anywhere in the World will be the Courts of their home country; under their judicial system,” Sani wrote.
He described such an outcome as “the Maduro solution,” an apparent reference to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose administration has faced international scrutiny over alleged human rights abuses.
Sani’s comments followed remarks by Rubio, who, in a video shared on his X account, said the United States would resist what he described as attempts by the ICC to interfere in America’s domestic affairs.
The U.S. Secretary of State argued that the United States, as a sovereign nation, should not be subject to the authority of what he called foreign institutions, insisting that Americans had never consented to such oversight.
“The American people never agreed to any of this, and they never will,” Rubio said, adding that the United States would not allow “foreign bureaucrats” to undermine its independence.
Rubio also alleged that the ICC had moved beyond its original mandate of prosecuting serious international crimes, including genocide and war crimes, claiming the court now operates as a global body with excessive powers.
The International Criminal Court, established under the Rome Statute, investigates and prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national jurisdictions are unable or unwilling to do so.
