EndSARS: Police Disperse Protesters with Tear Gas At Lagos Lekki Toll-Gate
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command on Sunday dispersed protesters rallying to mark the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest at the Lekki Toll-Gate in Lagos using teargas.
According to The Punch, the protesters had gathered around 8:30 a.m. at the toll gate, carrying banners and placards, and calling for the full implementation of the reports submitted by various judicial panels of inquiry established after the 2020 protests.
In October 2020, a wave of protests swept across Nigeria as thousands of young people marched through the streets of major cities, voicing their displeasure against the widespread abuse, killings, and extortion allegedly carried out by officers of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
The protests reached a tragic turning point on October 20, 2020, at the Lekki Toll-Gate in Lagos.
Reports indicated that several protesters lost their lives, while many others were left with serious injuries after the Nigerian military allegedly intervened.
The Take It Back Movement, a group of civil rights campaigners, disclosed that over 30 protesters were arrested on Sunday at Lekki Toll-Gate.
“Over 30 people were violently shot at, arrested and beaten during a peaceful memorial for the October 20 Lekki tollgate massacre victims this morning. They are now being taken to an unknown location. This regime’s oppressive tactics cannot be allowed to continue,” the group said in a statement on X.
Among those arrested include Hassan Soweto, one of the leaders of the #EndBadGovernance movement.
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a terse statement on X at about 1:47 p.m said that all those arrested have been released.
“All protesters in our custody have been released. CP Olanrewaju Ishola was on ground at the SCID to personally see to that,” he said.
EndSARS: Police Disperse Protesters with Tear Gas At Lagos Lekki Toll-Gate is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
