CLAIM: Buhari was arrested by ICC, a facebook user alleges.
FALSE: The video was a regurgitation and a manipulation of an old incident that happened prior to the 2015 general elections. The van is not a black maria but a police van to rescue Muhammadu Buhari and his entourage from the midst of the protesters. More so, there is no case against Buhari in relation to war crimes found at the ICC.
Full Text:
On August 19, a Facebook user shared a video of President Muhammadu Buhari, Rotimi Amaechi, Festus Keyamo and Bola Tinubu being ushered into a police van with the crowd shouting “Sai Baba, Sai Baba, GMB, GMB”.
Verification:
Dubawa traced the origin of the claim to a video that surfaced in March 19, 2015. This took place prior to the Presidential election that saw President Jonathan’s defeat at the polls to the then opposition Muhammadu Buhari.
A more “narrowed down” search showed that Buhari was not in the UK in March but February 26, 2015. Evidently, the video in question was posted subsequently. The then-presidential candidate was at Chatham House to speak on what he will do if he emerged as the President in a presentation titled: “Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s Transition,”
This is further buttressed in this video taken in February 26, 2015. Also, this report by Premium Times corroborates this.
No Arrest by ICC
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the body charged with the responsibility of investigating crimes perpetrated by individuals; concerning the international community. These include but not limited to genocide, war crimes and so on.
In the build up to 2019 elections, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) conducted a fact-check on the same video. In the report, it was shown that the van in question was not a black maria but a Metropolitan Police Sprinter Public Order Vehicle (POV). The latter is used by the Territorial Support Group (a special unit of the UK police) for addressing riots, disorder and maintaining public order.
Furthermore, Buhari is not a part of the 42 defendants listed on the ICC’s database; some of whom have arrest warrants issued. Also, there is no mention of the President’s name with respect to war crimes in the ICC’s case file for Nigeria.
Conclusion:
The video was a regurgitation and a manipulation of an old incident that happened prior to the 2015 general elections. The van is not a black maria but a police van to rescue Muhammadu Buhari and his entourage from the midst of the protesters. More so, there is no case against Buhari in relation to war crimes found at the ICC.
