Election Violence: Call For MC Oluomo’s Arrest Intensifies, As 1,104 Nigerians Sign Petition To ICC

Calls for the arrest and prosecution of Musiliu Akinsanya, a.k.a MC Oluomo have been intensified over his alleged role or contribution to election violence at the just concluded 2023 general election.

Naija News reports that this is as about 1,104 Nigerians under the platform of the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria have signed a petition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his immediate arrest and prosecution.

It was gathered that the petition is dated March 30, 2023, and titled: “Terrorism, Election Violence And Wide Scale Crime Against Humanity Perpetuated During The 2023 Election In Nigeria By Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo): An Urgent Need For Prosecution.”

The petitioners are demanding that “Musiliu Akinsanya, a.k.a MC Oluomo, should be arrested and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court for wide-scale crimes against humanity.”

According to them, the coalition is insisting that the ICC prosecute MC Oluomo because his trial in Nigeria could be blocked by his sponsors through whom he acts with impunity.

It was learnt from Sahara Reporters that the petition addressed to Mr Karim Khan KC, of the Office of the Prosecutor, ICC, had been acknowledged in a reply with reference: OTP-CR-120/23 dated April 3, 2023, and signed by Mark P. Dillon, Head of Information & Evidence Unit.

The Global Coordinator of the Coalition, Dr Frederick Omoyoma Odorige, told the global international criminal court that the petition became necessary in order to return sanity and democracy to Nigerian elections and to forestall political thuggery.

The petition reads: “Musiliu Akinsanya, a.k.a MC Oluomo, Nigerian, born 14 March 1975, Oshodi, Lagos Nigeria. Chairman, Parks Management Committee, Lagos state.
“Leader of an unnamed terrorist organisation and the militant wing of the All Progressives Congress, APC, used to unleash terrorism during elections in Nigeria.

“October 2018: Reportedly attacked and prevented the supporters of former governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state, from participating in primary elections held at Abesan Estate, Ipaja, Lagos Nigeria. 25 February 2023: In Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, Mrs Jennifer Efedi was stabbed on her face by thugs who disrupted the voting process.

“8 March 2023: Suspected links to this terrorist group were allegedly involved in razing the Akere spare parts market, Ajegunle, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, mostly owned by Igbo traders. The goal was clearly to intimidate Igbo-speaking voters.

“March 2023: In related videos, Musiliu Akinsanya, a.k.a MC Oluomo, verbally threatened Igbo-speaking and other Nigerian voters not to participate in exercising their voting rights in the 18 March 2023 Gubernatorial elections if they were not prepared to vote for the candidate of his political party -All Progressives Congress. Though 7,060,195 voters were officially registered, his inflammatory ethnic threats scared and prevented 5,877,575 voters from turning up to vote. Only 1,182, 620 turned up for accreditation on election day.

“The election day of 18 March 2023 was turned into a bloody theatre of War as witnessed by local and international observers. The horror unleashed by the terrorist group led to the disenfranchisement of voters who were harassed, beaten, tortured and stabbed.

“One person was killed in the clashes between the terrorists and voters in Ago at the Okota area of Lagos state. These were the consequences of the threats and actions made by the leader of the terrorist group, MC Oluomo. In other cases, election materials were destroyed, burnt or snatched. The violence and voter suppression gave room for falsified results, apprehension and public discontent.

“The mayhem directed at the so-called non-indigenes, continued after the election as the Balogun and Olowu markets were also razed due to the ethnic profiling which could lead to ethnic cleansing. No doubt, the ethnic threats by Musiliu Akinsanya, a.k.a MC Oluomo informed this and other similar tragedies in other states of Nigeria. Ethnic tensions which were created in Nigeria before and after the elections were already noted by various embassies in Nigeria, including those of the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

“While MC Oluomo destroyed families and properties in Nigeria his children were schooled and reside in the United States of America where he reportedly has a resident permit and assets. The education of his children and acquired assets in the US are proceeds of terrorism. He is usually paid to mobilize his gang members to disrupt elections for his sponsors and to extort Nigerians in the transportation industry.

“Prior to the elections, videos were circulated in the Niger Delta region by militant groups who claim link with Bola Ahmed Tinubu to whom MC Oluomo owes political allegiance. These are indications that the violent network of MC Oluomo goes beyond Lagos state of Nigeria. We strongly believe that such a criminal network could be an impending threat to regional and international security.

“Through his hate speeches and control of violence, his tendencies for grave electoral crimes were replicated in other states of the federation. These actions included attacks on journalists through widespread systematic crime of aggression, and crime against humanity. At least 39 persons were reportedly killed and many injured during the 2023 Nigerian elections.

“The deputy governor of Lagos state, Obafemi Hamzat confirmed on national television that 349 polling units experienced such crises in Lagos state.

“Young men who are followers of MC Oluomo have been trained and armed as gangs of terrorists. Their activities are spreading quickly. Those that do not return the guns and other lethal weapons supplied by their sponsors after elections continue as armed robbers and kidnappers.

“If election violence and their perpetrators are not quickly prosecuted, democracy, free and fair elections will continue to elude Nigeria and other African countries. Though still counting, we hereby attach 1,104 online signatories drawn from Nigerians and friends of Nigeria from different parts of the world.”