The Tap Initiative for Citizens' Development has called on the Nigerian government to urgently ratify the Malabo Protocol to strengthen justice and combat violent crimes. The protocol, adopted in 2014 by the African Union in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, expands the jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice and Human and Peoples' Rights to cover war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, terrorism, trafficking, drug trafficking, and unconstitutional changes of government. Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Executive Director Martin Obono said the protocol is a practical and urgent tool for justice in Nigeria. He stated, "For Nigeria, the Malabo Protocol is not an abstract legal framework; it is a practical and urgent tool for justice."
Mr Obono added that Nigeria continues to face terrorism, trafficking, and transnational crimes requiring stronger cross-border judicial responses. The protocol needs 15 ratifications from African Union member states to take effect, but only Angola has ratified it so far. Tap Initiative noted Nigeria's historical role in shaping African governance and urged the country to lead on the protocol's adoption. "Nigeria has long stood at the forefront of advancing justice and the rule of law in Africa," Mr Obono said. The group submitted a memorandum to the federal ministries of justice and foreign affairs and has convened civil society and legal experts to push for ratification. It is also working with Atrocities Watch Africa to build a continental coalition targeting 2028 for the protocol's entry into force.
Martin Obono calls for Nigeria to lead on the Malabo Protocol while only one African country has ratified it, exposing a decade-long continental inertia the country now seeks to break. Nigeria's push for leadership on transnational justice stands in contrast to its own failure to ratify the treaty under multiple administrations. Given the documented challenges in prosecuting terrorism and protecting judicial actors, the protocol's regional mechanism offers a potential workaround to domestic weaknesses. Yet without ratification, the call remains symbolic rather than transformative.
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