To the Distinguished Members of the International Criminal Court

To the Distinguished Members of the International Criminal Court, We, the undersigned representatives of the Hausa ethnic group, reach out to you with heavy hearts and an unwavering desire for justice.

Our communities are under attack, facing killings, displacement, and deep trauma. We implore you to respond to your commitment to justice and intervene urgently in the growing humanitarian crisis affecting the Hausa heartlands in Northern Nigeria. Continual Crimes Against Humanity: For years, our towns and villages have suffered relentless, systematic assaults by armed Fulani bandits.

These attacks are not random; they are part of a calculated, ethnically targeted campaign that exemplifies crimes against humanity—and potentially genocide. The perpetrators act with impunity, torching entire communities, abducting women and children, slaughtering innocent civilians, and decimating entire families. Our communities have been uprooted. Families are forced to abandon their ancestral homes, seeking refuge in makeshift camps that lack essential food, water, and security. Our traditional rulers, community leaders, and clerics have been silenced or murdered.

This is not mere banditry; it is ethnic cleansing, perpetuated by the silence and inaction of the Nigerian state. State Complicity and Institutional Silence: What amplifies our suffering is the overt protection granted to these bandits by influential figures within the state. Prominent Fulani elites and religious leaders have utilized their positions not to condemn these injustices, but to justify them, defend the aggressors, and obstruct justice. Government responses have been either completely absent or grossly inadequate—often suspiciously lacking in the most affected regions. The ethnic makeup of Nigeria's leadership has fostered a perilous environment of favoritism and impunity. Despite numerous calls for protection, security forces are routinely withdrawn or ordered to stand down, allowing the attackers to operate freely. This deliberate negligence amounts to complicity.

A Call for International Justice: We turn to the International Criminal Court because all local avenues of justice have failed us. We possess undeniable evidence: photographs of mass graves, videos of burning villages, testimonies from survivors, and credible reports from humanitarian observers. The cries of our people reverberate throughout Hausaland—and yet the world remains silent. We urge the ICC to: 1. Initiate a preliminary examination into the situation in Northern Nigeria, focusing specifically on ethnically motivated violence against the Hausa people. 2. Investigate the involvement of state actors and Fulani elites in facilitating these crimes. 3. Acknowledge the atrocities committed as crimes against humanity and potential genocide. 4. Hold accountable all those responsible—whether by direct violence or through obstruction of justice, incitement, or failure to act. 5. Recommend reparations and restitution for the victims and displaced communities.
A Plea for Peace, Dignity, and Justice: This issue transcends regional concerns—it is a global human rights matter. When an ethnic group is targeted, displaced, and dehumanized without repercussions, the foundational principles of justice and dignity across the world begin to erode. The Hausa people, like all others, deserve to live peacefully on their ancestral lands. We are farmers, traders, scholars, and contributors to civilization. We are not at war with our neighbors; rather, we are on the verge of extermination. We beseech the international community not to turn a blind eye. Stand with us. Help us. Let not the cries of our women and children be in vain. Let it be known that silence in the face of evil equates to complicity.

Justice must be served—not only for the Hausa people but for the broader vision of human rights and international law. Yours sincerely, Hausa Native Advancement and Development Initiative On Behalf of the Hausa People #hausaactivist #Hausawa #ICC