Posts falsely claim ICC issued arrest warrant for Nigeria's senate president
'Breaking: ICC allegedly issues international arrest warrant for Nigerian senate president over sexual harassment allegations,' reads the heading of a post shared on Facebook.
The post claims the ICC sent a letter to inform the Nigerian government of its decision and ordered that Akpabio be arrested in any country he visits.
A screenshot in the post shows an internet search for the words 'Akpabio and his girlfriend' and includes pictures of the senate president and his accuser, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The claim has also appeared in Facebook posts written in Hausa, one of the major languages spoken in northern Nigeria.
In an interview with local broadcaster Arise TV on February 28, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of making unwanted advances towards her (archived here).
Akpoti-Uduaghan said Akpabio – who denies the accusations – repeatedly blocked a motion she tried to advance in the Senate and then allegedly asked her for sexual favours to let it go through.
On March 5, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted a petition asking the Senate to investigate Akpabio.
The petition was rejected on procedural grounds on the same day.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended the next day for six months – a move ostensibly justified by an earlier argument over a change in her seating arrangement in the Senate chambers.
'Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for gross misconduct and unruly behaviour and not as a result of the allegation of sexual harassment or assault,' a letter from the Senate's majority leader said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has sued Akpabio for alleged defamation (archived here).
In return, Akpabio's wife Ekaette Akpabio filed multiple lawsuits against Akpoti-Uduaghan for alleged defamation, saying her comments caused her family emotional and psychological distress (archived here).
However, claims that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Nigeria's senate president are false.
Akpabio is a high-ranking politician who has been a minister for four years and governor of Bayelsa state in Nigeria's south-south for eight years (archived here).
News of an arrest warrant for him would have been widely published by local media. Keyword searches established there have been no credible reports to support the claim.
The ICC's spokesman, Fadi El Abdallah, told AFP Fact Check that the claim was baseless.
'These claims are false,' he said in an email to AFP Fact Check.
The ICC operates under the Rome Statute, which allows it to prosecute four main crimes (archived here).
These include genocide, war crimes, crime of aggression (when a state attacks the sovereignty of another) and crimes against humanity including murder, rape, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, enslavement – particularly of women and children – sexual slavery, torture, apartheid and deportation.
The list does not include sexual harassment.
The ICC's legal process before issuing a warrant of arrest for an individual includes investigating whether there is sufficient evidence of the crime, if it falls under its jurisdiction and whether there are genuine national proceedings.
When this is established, it can issue a warrant of arrest or summon the suspect.
A list of people summoned or whose arrest warrants have been issued is published on the ICC's website. Akpabio's name is not among them (archived here).
Those declared wanted by the ICC include former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir and his associate Ahmed Haroun. Both are to be prosecuted for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Neda Imaseun, head of the Senate Ethics Committee, said on March 25, 2025, that the matter of Akpoti-Uduaghan's accusation is closed, especially as both parties were litigating in court (archived here).
UN figures place Nigeria in 179th place worldwide for women's representation in national legislatures (archived here).
Women hold just 17 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives. After Akpoti-Uduaghan's suspension, the Senate is down to three women out of 109 seats.
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