By Mardiyyah Abubakar
Police operatives on Tuesday fired tear gas to disperse activists and other Nigerians gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to mark the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
The gathering was organised to honour victims of police brutality and renew calls for justice and police reforms.
But police action disrupted the commemoration and forced participants to flee.
Among those present were Funso Doherty, Lagos State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Despite the disruption, activists vowed to continue demanding justice for victims of police brutality and comprehensive reforms of the Nigeria Police Force. The situation later calmed, and the area was cleared.
The incident has renewed concerns about citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, six years after the #EndSARS movement began in October 2020.
The movement saw young Nigerians protest against police brutality, particularly abuses associated with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The Lekki Toll Gate became a focal point of the protests. On October 20, 2020, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the site, triggering widespread controversy over casualties and accountability.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, which investigated the incident, found that protesters were shot, injured and killed. However, the Lagos State Government subsequently rejected key aspects of the panel’s findings, including its conclusions on casualties.
Police have also deployed tear gas to disperse anniversary gatherings at the toll gate in previous years.
In October 2021, officers fired tear gas during a memorial procession organised by youths and celebrities to honour victims of police brutality.
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 fired tear gas at protesters marking the fourth anniversary of the movement.
The protesters demanded the full implementation of recommendations made by judicial panels established after the 2020 demonstrations. Police said they acted after the protesters refused to disperse.
Although the #EndSARS protests led to the disbandment of SARS in October 2020, demands for accountability, compensation for victims and comprehensive police reforms have persisted.
