The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is conducting a preliminary examination into the recent #EndSARS protests in Nigeria including the alleged killing of peaceful protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has revealed.
A statement by the office of the ICC prosecutor had earlier said it received information on alleged crimes.
The international body said that examination will “assess whether the legal criteria for opening an investigation under the Rome Statute are met.”
For more than 10 days, crowds of peaceful protesters gathered in streets in major towns of the country to demonstrate against police brutality, which led to a crackdown.
Global human rights group Amnesty International had said security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing and injuring a number of people. Both the Nigerian police and the army have rejected Amnesty’s allegation.
The ICC said it would make findings of the preliminary examination public.
By Abel Ejikeme
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