ICC opens investigation on #EndSARS protest in Nigeria

The International Criminal Court (ICC) says it is conducting preliminary investigations into the recent #EndSARS protest in Nigeria.

In a statement obtained by the BBC, the office of the ICC prosecutor explained that it received complaints and information on alleged crimes and that the examination would assess whether the legal criteria for opening an investigation under the Rome statute are met.

For weeks, crowds and peaceful protesters gathered in major cities and towns of the country to demonstrate against police brutality leading to a crackdown.

According to Rights groups, Amnesty International, security forces opened fire on protesters killing and injuring a number of people though both the police and army have rejected the allegations.

The office of the prosecutor noted that it usually doesn’t comment on communications received but the sender had made it public. It added that it is now scrutinizing the materials sent and when a final decision on this process is reached, it will be made public.

Amidst the announcement from the International Criminal Court that it had opened enquiries to the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria, citizens have taken to social media to express what they feel about this development.

While some are eagerly waiting to see where this development would lead, some others are skeptical whether the process will yield any result.