Police fire teargas to disperse #EndSARS memorial at Lekki Toll Gate
Police officers fired teargas at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday, dispersing participants at a memorial event organised to honour victims of the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
The organisers, the Enough is Enough movement, had scheduled a wreath-laying ceremony for 11 a.m. to remember people who died or went missing during the protests.
According to a report by The Punch, residents, journalists and political figures had gathered at the venue when police officers fired teargas canisters.
Among those affected were Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, and Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
A video of the incident showed participants scrambling for safety as the teargas spread across the area.
A Premium Times reporter who visited the toll gate at 11:15 a.m. reported seeing police officers at the scene but could not find any of the event organisers. The reporter also perceived the smell of teargas but could not immediately establish its source.
The organisers had planned to lay 15 wreaths in honour of the victims. Nine were intended for people listed as dead in connection with the Lekki incident, four for those listed as missing and presumed dead, one for journalist Pelumi Onifade, and another for other unidentified victims.
The nine people listed as 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 incident occurred as civil society organisations renewed calls for justice for victims of police abuses and the implementation of recommendations arising from investigations into the Lekki incident.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) said the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) had not ended allegations of police brutality, torture, extortion, unlawful detention and extrajudicial killings.
In a statement on Tuesday, the organisation called for the enforcement of the Police Act 2020 and the Anti-Torture Act 2017.
It also urged authorities to investigate allegations of abuse, prosecute officers found culpable and strengthen civilian oversight of the police.
RULAAC raised concerns about alleged abuses at police detention facilities, including Tiger Base in Owerri, Imo State. It called for detainees to have access to lawyers and relatives, proper documentation of arrests and transfers, and compliance with court judgments.
Similarly, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) called on the federal and Lagos State governments to apologise for the Lekki shootings and provide redress for victims.
In a statement issued on Monday, the organisation urged the authorities to conduct independent investigations, prosecute those found responsible and compensate people killed or injured during the crackdown.
CAPPA said the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry’s report implicated security personnel in deaths and injuries at the toll gate. It also criticised the federal government’s rejection of the panel’s findings and the Lagos State Government’s White Paper, which disputed aspects of the casualty records.
The organisation further called for the implementation of a July 2024 judgment of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice which, according to CAPPA, found Nigeria liable for human rights violations and ordered compensation and fresh investigations.
CAPPA also renewed calls for justice for Pelumi Onifade, a journalist arrested by officers of the Lagos State Task Force on October 24, 2020, while covering events at the Ministry of Agriculture Abattoir in Oko-Oba, Agege.
It called for an investigation into his death and the prosecution of anyone found responsible. The organisation also urged the authorities to preserve the Lekki Toll Gate as a national memorial and introduce safeguards, including body-worn cameras for police officers.
Tuesday’s incident revived concerns over previous police actions against participants at #EndSARS memorial events.
In July 2025, the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Inspector-General of Police and the then Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, to jointly pay N10 million in damages to protesters whose rights were violated during a memorial procession at the toll gate on October 20, 2024.
Justice Musa Kakaki held that the arrests violated the protesters’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and association.
The applicants had told the court that police officers used teargas and live ammunition to disperse them, assaulted some participants and detained them before releasing them without charge.
The judge also ruled that an earlier Lagos State High Court order restricting protests to designated parks could not be applied retrospectively to the gathering.
The suit was filed by 22 individuals and three organisations: the Education Rights Campaign, Take It Back Movement and Campaign for the Defence of Human Rights.
Police also arrested demonstrators during anniversary events in 2021 and detained protesters and journalists in 2022.
Six years after #EndSARS
The #EndSARS protests began in October 2020, when young Nigerians took to the streets to demand an end to police brutality, particularly abuses attributed to SARS.
The federal government announced the disbandment of the unit on October 11, 2020, but demonstrations continued as protesters demanded accountability.
The shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, became one of the defining moments of the protests. Investigations into the incident and demands for justice have continued in the years since.
