An online petition initiated by Reno Omokri, a former special assistant to Nigeria’s former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has been removed from the change.org website.
The petition which garnered 80,000 signatories on Friday, 20 November, was titled, “Petition To The ICC To Arraign Muhammadu Buhari for Crimes Against Humanity”.
The petition was addressed to the International Criminal Court to arraign Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, over alleged crimes against humanity.
The petition was set up after a report by the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry said nine persons were shot dead at the Lekki toll on October 2, 2020, when soldiers stormed there to disperse #EndSARS protesters.
The report titled ‘Report Of Lekki Incident Investigation Of 20th October 2020,’ presented by the panel’s chairperson, Doris Okuwobi, to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday stated that armed soldiers ‘massacred’ unarmed protesters, despite claims to the contrary by the federal government.
A message on the petition page said “This petition isn’t available. Either the URL is incorrect, it violated our Community Guidelines, or the starter removed it.”
The petition read: “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.”
Also, for over an hour yesterday, Omokri’s Facebook page was taken down but was soon restored. Omokri alleged that President Buhari paid for his page to be reported, The Guardain reports.
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