Police disperse demonstrators honouring #EndSARS victims at Lekki tollgate

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force on Sunday morning dispersed demonstrators marching to honour the victims of the #EndSARS protest in October 2020 at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos.

It was gathered that the activists, who were marching with a banner towards the Lekki toll gate, were reportedly tear-gassed and dispersed by security agencies.

This is not the first time activists have been dispersed by officers of the Nigeria Police Force while honouring victims of the #EndSARS protest.

According to CNN, on October 20, 2021, police in Lagos fired tear gas as hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Lekki toll gate in a memorial car procession to honour those who allegedly died during the protests.

CNN reported that, ahead of the memorial event to mark the one-year anniversary, the organisers and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police agreed that the protest could only take place in vehicles, not through street marches.

However, some protesters spilled onto the streets, chanting “solidarity forever” and “how many of us will you kill?” This led to police releasing tear gas to disperse those demonstrating on the streets.

Also, on October 20, 2022, the Associated Press reported that Nigerian police officers fired tear gas at protesters in Lagos marking the second anniversary of the #EndSARS protest.

The #EndSARS protests, which lasted for two weeks, erupted across Nigeria in October 2020 due to a now-disbanded law enforcement unit known as SARS.

The demonstrations, dubbed the #EndSARS movement arose amid widespread accusations of police brutality, unwarranted arrests, and bribery.

There were also claims that security forces fired live ammunition at crowds gathered at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020, with 11 people allegedly killed.