Police officers on Tuesday morning fired tear gas to disperse residents, journalists, and political figures who had gathered at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos for a memorial honoring victims of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
Those affected included the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, along with the Nigerian Democratic Congress governorship candidate, Funso Doherty.
The Enough is Enough movement organized the memorial as part of activities marking the remembrance of those who lost their lives during the #EndSARS protests.
However, the memorial was disrupted before participants could lay wreaths at the tollgate, as police officers sent to the venue fired tear gas canisters to scatter the crowd.
A video shared by TheCable showed participants scrambling for safety as the tear gas spread across the area.
The incident stopped the wreath-laying ceremony from going ahead as planned.
According to the report of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the October 20, 2020, Lekki incident, nine people were confirmed dead, while four others were declared missing and presumed dead.
Those identified as dead were Victor Sunday Ibanga, Abuta Solomon, Jide, Olalekan Abideen Ashafa, Olamilekan Ajasa, Kolade Salami, Folorunsho Olabisi, Kenechukwu Ugoh, and Nathaniel Solomon.
The four individuals listed as missing and presumed dead were Abiodun Adesanya, Ifeanyi Nicholas Eji, Tola, and Wisdom.
The #EndSARS protests brought international attention to allegations of police brutality in Nigeria and strengthened calls for reforms in the country’s policing system.
The protests also prompted the federal government to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a police unit widely criticized over alleged human rights abuses.
