Police officers on Tuesday dispersed protesters and mourners with teargas at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, disrupting a wreath-laying ceremony organised to commemorate victims of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
Among those affected were Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos State, and Funsho Doherty, gubernatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), alongside residents and journalists who had gathered for the memorial.
The sixth-anniversary procession was organised by the Enough is Enough (EiE) movement. However, participants were forced to flee before the wreaths could be laid, as police officers who had arrived at the tollgate ahead of the event fired teargas canisters to disperse the gathering.
The incident reportedly left some participants injured, while several others struggled to breathe amid the fumes. Traffic congestion also developed along the busy expressway as the disruption unfolded.
The memorial was organised in remembrance of victims of the October 20, 2020, #EndSARS protests against police brutality. According to the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry’s report on the Lekki incident, nine people were confirmed dead, while four others were listed as missing and presumed dead.
The nine confirmed dead were identified as 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.
Organisers said they had brought 15 wreaths to the tollgate for the ceremony, including one in honour of Pelumi Onifade, a journalist who was shot dead in Lagos during the nationwide protests against police brutality.
The #EndSARS movement attracted international attention to allegations of police brutality and human rights violations in Nigeria, particularly those associated with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The protests prompted the Federal Government to disband the police unit, which had faced widespread criticism over alleged abuses, including harassment, extortion and unlawful arrests.
