EndSARS Protests: International Criminal Court begins inquiry into Lekki toll gate shooting

The International Criminal Court has confirmed to BBC that a preliminary examination into the recent #EndSARS protests in Nigeria is being conducted.

Following the clamor of Nigerian citizens for the ICC to look into the alleged crimes against humanity perpetrated in the state, the ICC has said the preliminary examination will “assess whether the legal criteria for opening an investigation under the Rome Statute are met”.

For weeks, thousands of Nigerians assembled in peaceful protests across many states in the country against police brutality, extrajudicial killings, and harassments of innocent citizens by members of the Nigerian Police force.

The protests, however, took a turn for the worse as protesters were met with more violence, the height of which was the Lekki Massacre in which men of the Armed Forces allegedly opened fire on protesters, killing and maiming many.

According to BBC, the ICC has said that it would “make findings of the preliminary examination public.”