The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to seek authorization from the Pre-Trial Chamber of the court to open an investigation into cases of abduction of schoolchildren in several parts of northern Nigeria.

The investigation will also cover the closure of schools and the persistent failure of Nigerian authorities at both the federal and state levels to end the abductions.

The ICC prosecutor’s decision followed a petition sent to the court by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

Meanwhile, this development was announced in a statement by SERAP’s Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, who said the ICC prosecutor has taken a significant step towards ensuring that those suspected to be responsible for grave crimes against Nigerian schoolchildren are exposed, and held to account.