International Criminal Court to probe #ENDSARS violence, killings

The ICC has said that it will “analyse materials” from the protests.

The International Criminal Court, ICC has said that it will “analyse materials” it has received about the violence which hit Nigeria last month following protests against police brutality.

The ICC chief prosecutor’s office told the BBC that contrary to an earlier report, it has not already opened a “formal preliminary examination” into the unrest.

Youths under the #EndSARS had taken to the streets to protest against police brutality, calling for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a notorious unit of the Nigerian Police with a long record of abuses. The unit was subsequently disbanded and a replacement announced by the police authorities.

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This did not however quell the protests as the youths insisted that the action must go beyond disbandment of the unit, thereby the protests continued. The protest became bloody as armed uniform men shot at protesters at Lekki Toll Gate Plaza on October 20.

Rights group, Amnesty International said security forces opened fire on protesters at the Lekki toll gate, killing at least 10 people there.

The Nigerian Army through its 81 Division said that soldiers were deployed at the instance of the state government but denied shooting protesters.