7,000 Sign Online Petition Demanding Trial Of President Buhari By International Criminal Court

Nigerian have launched an online petition on the web-based petition aggregator, change.org.

The petitiosn was addressed to the International Criminal Court to arraign Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, over his crimes against humanity. 

The petition, which has garnered 7, 013 signatories as of the time of filing this report, is titled, “Petition To The ICC To Arraign Muhammadu Buhari for Crimes Against Humanity”.

The petition was initiated by Reno Omokri, a former Special Assistant to Nigeria's former President, Goodluck Jonathan.

It reads, “On October 20, 2020, the Buhari administration murdered multiple innocent, unarmed, peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in a massacre that has since been dubbed #LekkiMassacre.

“These youths were protesting to put an end to the rampant police brutality that had become the hallmark of the Buhari regime, which treats so-called repentant Boko Haram almost like royalty, while coming hard on young Nigerians, sometimes for the flimsiest reason, such as wearing dreadlocks.

“Following the murders of these protesters, the Buhari administration denied that the incident ever occurred. They threatened those, like myself, who insisted, with proof, that this massacre happened. The government even threatened to jail people who called for those behind the murders to be brought to book.

“However, on Monday, November 15, 2021, the Lagos State Panel of Inquiry into EndSARS released its report to the state government in which it established judicially that not only did the massacre occur, but that the government of Muhammadu Buhari and its agents-- the Nigerian Army and police--perpetrated the murders.

“This petition is therefore directed at the International Criminal Court to set machinery in motion for the trial of Muhammadu Buhari for crimes against humanity in the same way that former Liberian President, Charles Taylor, was tried and convicted.

“On this day, November 17, 2021, when my beloved twin sons are celebrating their 14th birthday, they have permitted me to use their special day to call for justice for the many sons and daughters who will never have another birthday because Buhari killed them in their prime. #BuhariForPrison2023.”

On Monday, the Lagos State judicial panel on Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)-related abuses submitted its report to the state government.

The findings of the panel, set up to investigate the shooting of peaceful protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos during the demonstrations against police brutality in October 2020, had confirmed in its report that at least nine persons died.

The report released by the panel on Monday also confirmed the excesses of the police and military personnel as well as the ugly incident at the tollgate.

The panel had also described the killing as a “massacre.”