Throughout March 2022 the Wayamo Foundation held a series of training sessions for prosecutors from Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group (CCG) focusing on using custom-built digital case assessment tools to identify cases that touch on potential international crimes, and on redrafting charges – if necessary – to reflect those crimes under Nigerian law. The latest workshops had the dual goal of improving the capacity of CCG personnel, and of taking steps to institutionalise an expert sub-team under the Head of the CCG that solidifies the gains made during the past few months of capacity building work.
The training sessions were held both online and in person, and focused on “training-the-trainers”, with special attention given to senior CCG personnel. The workshops featured contributions from Kris Kotarski, Digital Programmes Manager, Wayamo Foundation who has worked with the CCG to create digital tools like the CCG Case Assessment Form for ICC Criminality to help prosecutors assess cases for potentially redrafting charges to capture Rome Statute crimes under Nigerian law. The workshops also featured Rebeka Juhosová, Wayamo’s Legal Researcher and Data-Management Expert, as well as leading international legal experts who worked with CCG prosecutors on assessing case files and on strategies for capturing international crimes under Nigeria’s domestic laws.
Representing the CCG were Alilu Aminu Kayode, Assistant Director of Prosecutions and Head of Complex Casework Group in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Matthew Odu Una, senior CCG Prosecutor and digital projects lead and eight specially selected senior prosecutors.
The CCG is a specialised unit coming under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice. Together, the Wayamo Foundation and the CCG are creating an electronic case-file database to serve as a repository for terrorism files and their corresponding judgements. This database will also serve to build more complex cases which may address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Wayamo’s bespoke training sessions for Nigeria’s CCG will continue in the spring of 2022.
