Police officers on Tuesday reportedly fired tear gas to disperse people gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
The intervention disrupted a memorial organised to honour those who died during the demonstrations against police brutality in October 2020.
Among those at the gathering were Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, and Funso Doherty, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate. Doherty’s running mate, Tolani Animashaun, was also reported to be present.
According to reports by Channels Television and The PUNCH, the tear gas caused participants to flee and prevented the planned wreath-laying ceremony from proceeding as intended.
Memorial interrupted before wreath-laying ceremony
The gathering was organised as part of activities to remember victims of the #EndSARS protests and renew calls for accountability and police reform.
Participants had assembled at the toll gate, a location that became a national focal point during the 2020 demonstrations.
However, the planned commemoration was disrupted when officers deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Video footage cited in media reports showed people scrambling to leave the area as the gas spread. The incident drew renewed attention to the management of public gatherings at the site.
The available reports did not establish a complete account of the events immediately preceding the police intervention. Further clarification from the relevant authorities would be needed to determine the reasons for the deployment and whether warnings were issued.
Six years after the #EndSARS protests
The #EndSARS movement began as a campaign against alleged abuses by the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS.
Young Nigerians and other demonstrators demanded an end to police brutality, extortion and other alleged abuses by security personnel.
The protests spread across the country, with the Lekki Toll Gate becoming one of the movement’s most prominent locations.
The events of October 20, 2020, remain a source of public controversy and debate over the use of force, casualties and accountability. A Lagos State judicial panel later found that protesters had been shot, injured and killed during the Lekki incident, although the state government disputed key aspects of the panel’s findings.
Demands for justice, compensation for victims and the implementation of police reforms have continued since the protests.
Public assembly and police accountability back in focus
Tuesday’s incident has renewed attention on the relationship between law enforcement and citizens exercising their right to peaceful assembly.
The presence of opposition politicians also gives the incident a political dimension, although their attendance alone does not establish the motive behind the police action.
The central questions now concern the circumstances of the dispersal, the police explanation and whether participants’ rights were respected.
As of the reports reviewed for this article, a comprehensive official account explaining the deployment had not been established.
