Police officers fired tear gas to disperse residents, activists and journalists gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday during a memorial procession marking the sixth anniversary of the EndSARS protests.
Among those affected were Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos, and Funso Doherty, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The procession, organised by the Enough is Enough (EiE) movement, was intended to honour victims of the October 2020 protests against police brutality.
Participants fled as officers deployed tear gas before the planned wreath-laying ceremony could begin. Some people were reportedly injured, while others struggled to breathe amid the fumes. Traffic also began to build up along the busy expressway.
The organisers said they had brought 15 wreaths to the venue, including one for Pelumi Onifade, a journalist who was shot dead in Lagos during the nationwide anti-police brutality protests.
Panel listed nine dead, four missing
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry’s report on the October 20, 2020, Lekki incident listed nine people as confirmed dead and four others as missing and presumed dead.
Those listed 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 people listed as missing and presumed dead were Abiodun Adesanya, Ifeanyi Nicholas Eji, Tola and Wisdom.
The Lekki Toll Gate became a focal point of the #EndSARS movement, which drew international attention to allegations of police brutality in Nigeria.
On October 20, 2020, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the toll gate, an incident that remains controversial over casualties and accountability. The judicial panel found that protesters were shot, injured and killed, while the Lagos State Government subsequently rejected key aspects of the panel’s findings.
Police disrupt subsequent memorials
Tuesday’s incident follows previous confrontations between security operatives and people commemorating the protests at the toll gate.
In October 2021, police fired tear gas during a memorial procession organised by youths and celebrities. The then Lagos Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, said officers were dispersing people he described as “miscreants”, rather than participants in the procession.
In 2024, police again deployed tear gas against protesters marking the fourth anniversary of the demonstrations. The protesters had demanded the full implementation of recommendations made by judicial panels established after the 2020 protests. Police said officers acted after the demonstrators refused to disperse.
The #EndSARS protests led to the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in October 2020. However, demands for accountability, compensation for victims and wider police reforms have continued.
