Police officers on Tuesday fired teargas to disperse participants at a memorial for victims of the 2020 #EndSARS protests at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, forcing the gathering to end prematurely. Those affected included the Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, who had come to honour those killed during the demonstrations.
The memorial was organised by the Enough is Enough movement as part of activities marking the anniversary of the October 2020 protests against police brutality.
A source familiar with the event said participants arrived at the tollgate after laying a wreath at the location, but the situation changed as the crowd grew.“The participants arrived after dropping the wreath at the tollgate, but the policemen began firing teargas when the number of participants started to increase,” the source said. A police source said officers had been deployed to the location on Monday evening ahead of the memorial.
Videos from the scene showed participants scrambling for safety as the teargas spread across the area. One clip captured people running away, while another showed a woman gasping for breath as she was led away after inhaling the gas. No casualties were recorded during the incident.
Our correspondent learnt that the police action prevented the gathering from proceeding as planned, compelling participants to leave. The Lekki tollgate remains a symbolic site in the #EndSARS movement, which drew international attention to allegations of police brutality and prompted calls for reform of the country’s policing system.
According to the report of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the October 20, 2020 incident, nine people were confirmed dead, while four others were declared missing and presumed dead.The confirmed dead were Victor Sunday Ibanga, Abuta Solomon, Jide, Olalekan Abideen Ashafa, Olamilekan Ajasa, Kolade Salami, Folorunsho Olabisi, Kenechukwu Ugoh and Nathaniel Solomon. Those listed as missing and presumed dead were Abiodun Adesanya, Ifeanyi Nicholas Eji, Tola and Wisdom.
The protests, which began over allegations of abuses by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), led the Federal Government to dissolve the unit amid widespread demands for police accountability and reform. When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she had not been briefed on the deployment of the officers to the location.“I am yet to have official feedback because our officers are still on the ground,” she said.
