Police fired tear gas at people gathered at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos on Tuesday, October 20, disrupting a memorial for victims of the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
The crowd included residents, journalists and the Lagos governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Funso Doherty.
Punch reported that the Enough is Enough movement organised the memorial and that police dispersed participants before they could lay wreaths. People fled as the tear gas spread across the area.
The gathering marked six years since the protests against police brutality. Channels Television reported that tension had subsided and the area had cleared after the dispersal.
The nationwide #EndSARS demonstrations began in October 2020 with demands to end police brutality and abuses associated with the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The unit was disbanded that month.
The Lekki tollgate became a major protest site. Channels Television recalled that the Lagos judicial panel investigating the October 20, 2020 shooting found that protesters were shot at, injured and killed. The state government rejected key parts of the panel’s findings, including conclusions on casualties.
Police also used tear gas at anniversary gatherings in 2021 and 2024. In its account of the 2024 dispersal, Channels Television reported that protesters had demanded implementation of the judicial panels’ recommendations, while police said they acted after participants refused to disperse.
Sources: Punch, Channels Television
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