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It seems as though peaceful protesters can never catch a break in Nigeria, as police brutality reared its ugly head again during the EndSARS memorial procession at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State on October 20, 2022.
[Image source: PUNCH Newspapers]
Nigerian celebrities, Folarin Falana, aka Falz, and Adebowale Adedayo, aka, Mr Marcaroni, led the protest in honour of young Nigerians killed by security forces at the toll gate on October 20, 2020.
Police officers interrupted the procession to request that protesters remove a coffin, which was a symbolic reference to the 2020 victims. The protesters refused and the police started to shoot tear gas canisters.
[Image source: PUNCH Newspapers]
[Image source: Punch Newspapers]
A journalist who works for Arise TV, Oba Adeoye, was also allegedly harassed.
The Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos was a symbolic holding ground for the #EndSARS protests until the Nigerian military and police attacked civilian protesters with weapons on October 20th 2020.
The shooting and the widespread violence that followed it resulted in the vandalisation of the Lekki-Epe Toll Gate and the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Gate.
What‘s happened since October 2020?
The Lekki Concession Company (LCC) oversees and profits from the two toll gates but a judicial panel set up to investigate the October 20th 2020 shooting suspended their operations to protect evidence. The LCC submitted many requests to take back control of the toll gates as the investigation dragged on for months. The judicial panel handed control of the toll gates back to the LCC on February 6th 2021. This prompted another round of protests by Nigerians at the Lekki Toll Gate on February 13th 2021. The police arrested many protesters and brutalised them.
Mr Macaroni and others clothes removed tied and tortured by the police in a Bus at the police station #EndSARShttps://t.co/q2PovymWA2
What the judicial panel found out about Lekki Toll Gate massacre
The judicial panel ruled in its report on the shooting that security forces killed at least nine people during the October 20th 2022 crackdown. The panel advised the government to turn the Lekki Toll Gate into a memorial site for the #EndSARS protests and rename it ENDSARS Toll Gate. The Lagos State Government rejected the findings and recommendations.
The LCC announced on March 14th 2022 that toll operations would resume at the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Gate on April 1st 2022. The company won’t toll car owners for the first two weeks, but everything will be back to business as usual from April 15th 2022.
The LCC says resuming operations is important so it can pay off local and international loans. The Lagos State Government has also been appealing to Lagosians to allow the resumption to happen smoothly for the sake of LCC workers who could lose their jobs.
It’s still unclear when tolling operations will resume at the Lekki-Epe Toll Gate where the October 20th 2020 shooting took place, but Nigerians aren’t open to the idea of LCC tolling anywhere.
We asked some Nigerians their thoughts on the situation.
Seun
The government hasn’t been able to convince the citizens that Nigerians weren’t killed at the toll gate that night. This means that justice hasn’t been done to this issue. The two toll gates are Siamese twins that can’t be separated on this issue. It doesn’t matter if it’s Lekki-Epe or Lekki-Ikoyi, reopening the toll gates will continue to be an injustice unless the government comes clean.
With all that’s going on in Nigeria, the citizens should avoid any confrontation with the security agencies on this matter. They should engage the government with their demands and the government should address their concerns with all sincerity.
Duke
The reopening of the Lekki-Ikoyi Toll Gate just like other toll gates must not happen. Both toll gates in Lagos State are in Lekki within a 5 km radius. However, Lekki has no general hospital, no central market, no courts, no public primary or secondary schools. So what’s the tax Lekki residents pay being used for? All we’re saying is: no justice, no tolls.
We shall commence a street-to-street mobilisation and sensitisation of residents within the axis on the need to resist the extortion at the gates.
Bajo
The government should just dead the idea of reopening the toll gates. It won’t work unless we are cowards. What I personally feel is that the government is very greedy and all they care about is the money generated from the toll gates. The 2023 elections are around the corner and they want to make millions of naira to stuff in their pockets. The Lekki Toll Gate must not be reopened or else we occupy it again. I’m sure the youths are fully ready for this. We’ll continue to cry for justice for the victims of the Lekki massacre.
Peace
The government should be taking steps to remedy the wrong meted on its citizens during the #EndSARS protests. They should be implementing the remedy recommended by the judicial panel and ensuring the youths’ demands for good governance and change are met. You can’t beat a child and still tell the child how to cry. I only hope young Nigerians react wisely to this development.
Tito
Whether people want to believe there was a massacre or not, what we know is there was a shooting and people lost their lives. If they actually have to reopen the toll gate, the toll fee should at least be reduced by 50% of what it is right now because we all know the realities of our current economy.
More than a year after the Lekki Toll Gate massacre, the Lagos State Judicial Panel on #EndSARS has submitted a report confirming that the Nigerian Army and Police Force were both responsible for the killing of protesters on the night of October 20th, 2020.
The panel was inaugurated on October 19th, 2020, to quell the ongoing protests by investigating cases of human rights abuses by the Nigerian Police Force, the panel’s role eventually expanded following the night of the massacre.
“The Nigerian Army was invited for intervention in the State and was deployed to Lekki Toll Gate on the 20th of October 2020. At the Lekki Toll Gate, officers of the Nigerian Army shot, injured, and killed unarmed helpless and defenseless protesters, without provocation or justification, while they were waving the Nigerian Flag and singing the National Anthem and the manner of assault and killing could in context be described as a massacre,” the report read.
Here’s everything we know about the report:
The Nigerian Army Fired Live Bullets
After months of going through evidence and listening to eye-witness accounts, the panel concluded that the Nigerian Army actually fired live rounds at the tollgate, killing multiple Nigerians.
The panel stated that it had recovered two bullet shells from the scene on October 30th, 2020, when it went for a spot assessment. The shells were duly analyzed by forensic experts who determined that they belonged to the Nigerian Army.
Doctors Testified To Multiple Injured People And Over 96 Recorded Deaths
Presenting its findings, the panel cited the testimonies of three doctors who attended to protesters on that night. In their testimonies, the doctors confirmed that many protesters were critically injured, with over 96 gunshot-related deaths recorded from that night alone (some of the bodies are yet to be identified).
The Nigerian Police Also Shot At Protesters
The panel’s report also points at another round of shootings from that night, this time by the Nigerian Police Force. According to the report, after the Nigerian Army left the toll gate, officers of the Police Force showed up and shot directly at the remaining protesters who tried to flee the scene. Bodies were reportedly discovered in the shanties and the Lagoon at the Lekki Phase 1 Foreshore, close to the Lekki Toll Gate.
The Nigerian Army Blocked Ambulances From Attending To Victims
Confirming reports made by medics and protesters from that night, the panel found that the Nigerian Army made the situation worse by refusing to allow ambulances to render medical assistance to victims who required it. This eventually led to more deaths that could have easily been prevented if medical aid had been administered at the appropriate time.
Lekki Concession Company (LCC) Tried To Stall The Investigation
The report also provided more information on the LCC’s role during and after the shootings. According to the panel, the LCC failed to cooperate with the investigation, refusing to hand over vital evidence in its possession.
The LCC is also reported to have manipulated the CCTV footage it presented before the panel.
A Clean-up Attempt
Finally, the report also revealed that several government agencies attempted to cover up the incident of October 20th. According to several eyewitness accounts, the Nigerian Army and the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (LASHEMU) allegedly showed up with vans to cart away the bodies of dead protesters. The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) was also reported to have arrived at the scene for a quick clean-up immediately after the shootings. Similarly, officers of the Nigerian Army and Police Force were reported to have picked up empty shells from the bullets they used, in a bid to cover up their parts in the shootings.
Next Steps….
As part of its report, the panel recommended that the Lekki Toll Plaza be made a memorial site for the protesters who died, renaming it the “ENDSARS TOLLGATE”. Other recommendations included making October 20th of every year a toll-free remembrance day – hinting at plans to reopen the toll gate, a public apology by both the State and Federal Governments, compensation to victims from that night, the establishment of a standing committee to bridge the gap between the society and the police, and the institution of a Human Rights Committee or Tribunal made up of relevant stakeholders.
Receiving the report, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu promised to set up a 4-man committee led by the Honorable Attorney-General to prepare a White Paper for the purpose of implementing the findings and recommendations expressed in the report. He also promised to send the report to the National Economic Council (NEC) for implementation.
After the Lagos Judicial Panel announced its approval for the reopening of Lekki Toll Gate on February 6, 2021, Nigerians online did not waste time voicing their displeasure regarding that decision.
Today’s Ruling on Lekki Concession Company’s Application having heard all arguments are as follows, as delivered by the Honorable Panel Chairman Justice Doris Okuwobi (Rtd): https://t.co/kHSlp2syWU
Upon all said, I hereby make an order for LCC to repossess its toll gate, which have been under the control of the panel forthwith, upon indication given that the forensic analysis of the said toll plaza has been concluded, …
This move by the Lagos Judicial Panel, which has been tasked with investigating the cases of police violence in Lagos and particularly the shooting of innocent protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, inspired the #OccupyLekkiTollGate protest slated to happen today, February 13, 2021, at 7 a.m.
With this latest protest call gaining momentum and garnering support from Nigerians online, the Federal Government of Nigeria issued a warning to protesters asking them to abandon the planned demonstrations.
What exactly did the government say?
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, on Thursday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said, “At this time, the chances that any peaceful protest will be hijacked are very high.” He also admitted that while peaceful protests are constitutionally permitted, there are no guarantees that the latest protests would be nonviolent. “Based on the intelligence at the disposal of the federal government, some Nigerian activists have linked up with others outside Nigeria, including subversive elements, with a view to destabilising the country. We cannot, and must not, allow this to happen,” he said.
But that wasn’t the only opposition to the #OccupyLekkiTollGate protests.
The Minister’s speech followed at the heels of #ProtectLagos, a planned counter-protest organized by unidentified bodies in response to the planned #OccupyLekkiTollGate demonstrations, which the Minister failed to take note of, or speak on.
Nobody will blame Buhari for the bulala you will chop on that day. The Indigenous People of Lagos – IPOL are ready to #ProtectLagos and are saying #DemNoBornYourPapaWell
According to numerous eye-witness reports and visual evidence uploaded on social media, the Nigerian Police Force stationed themselves at the Lekki Toll Gate yesterday, Friday, February 12, 2021, just as the Minister’s speech promised.
But even though the Lagos state CP claimed the police officers at Lekki Toll Gate “ are there to keep peace and orderliness in that environment”,” the situation is much different.
The police officers on the ground were seen earlier today chanting, “No retreat, No surrender!” in anticipation of protesters who are coming out today.
No retreat , no surrender- Nigerian policemen threatens to fire any protester at Lekki toll gate.
From what can be deduced from BBC Pidgin Live, people are being assaulted before being arrested without any explanation. With only a few people just gathering at the protest location, the police officers have been carting away people walking around the area, leaving out only the journalists, themselves, and the cars driving past the toll gate.
And here are videos of other arrests being carried out without explanations or provocations.
Many of the people say they don’t know why they are being arrested. Some say they are passersby. None of the police can tell us why they are being arrested and what the grounds are for arrest. #Lekkitollgatepic.twitter.com/CXgGuCv3bH
As things stand now, it is unclear if the protest will go on as planned, but from recent reports from Channels Television on the situation, Lekki Toll Gate is still mostly occupied by journalists covering the developments and police officers ready to arrest more protesters. We will continue to update you as things develop.
