Social media users, on Tuesday, commemorated the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests, demanding justice for victims of the October 20, 2020, shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos and accountability for those responsible for the incident.
The users, who shared tributes and personal experiences on their social media accounts, called for an end to police brutality, respect for human rights and comprehensive police reforms.
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, also joined the commemoration, describing the anniversary as a reminder of the sacrifices Nigerian youths made in their demand for a better country.
In a message on his Facebook page titled, “EndSARS Lekki Toll Gate: Never Forget October 20, 2020”, Obi said the incident remained a painful reminder of the price young Nigerians paid in their struggle for a better nation.
“On that fateful night, peaceful #EndSARS protesters were met with gunfire. Lives were lost, many were injured, and the nation was left with questions about justice, accountability, and the sanctity of human life. We must never forget. We must never normalise injustice.”
He said Nigeria needed to become a country where citizens were protected rather than brutalised and young people were heard rather than silenced.
“Nigeria must become a nation where no citizen is punished for demanding good governance and a better future,” he said.
On his part, Atiku accused the APC government of failing to provide answers to Nigerians over the October 2020 Lekki shooting, saying six years after the incident, the country is still waiting to know who ordered the shooting.
Atiku, in a statement marking the sixth anniversary of the EndSARS protests, said the APC-led government owed Nigerians, particularly young people, accountability for the incident and a better future amid worsening economic hardship.
“Six years after the Lekki shooting, Nigeria is still waiting for a clear answer to one devastating question: Who gave the order?” he said.
He also recalled the response of President Bola Tinubu, who, in October 2020, questioned the circumstances surrounding the presence of protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate and the casualties recorded during the incident.
Atiku said Tinubu, rather than demonstrating the empathy and compassion the tragedy demanded, had asked: “How were they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters are they?”
According to him, the response appeared more concerned with questioning the victims than demanding accountability from those responsible for the violence against peaceful protesters.
A social media user, Henry Asama, said the anniversary brought back memories of the shooting of protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate.
In his post, Asama wrote, “End SARS protest, we’ll never forget how the Nigerian army opened fire on harmless and armless Nigerian YOUTHS 20-10-2020.”
Similarly, Gbadamosi Olamide Michael recalled how the protests disrupted movement in Ibadan, Oyo State, saying he had to walk for hours from his school to get home because roads were blocked by demonstrators.
Michael said the experience remained memorable six years later because of the pain, unanswered questions and grief that followed the protests.
He said the demonstrations were driven by demands for the abolition of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), an end to police abuses and comprehensive police reforms.
“They didn’t ask too much, ‘REFORM THE POLICE FOR A BETTER NIGERIA!’” he wrote.
For Nwibo Friday, the anniversary was a reminder of what he described as a defining moment in Nigeria’s history.
In a post titled “Not Forgotten So Soon,” Friday said October 20, 2020, would remain in the memories of Nigerians because of the events at the Lekki Toll Gate.
He recalled that the protests began as a campaign against police brutality and for reforms to SARS but were followed by shootings that left Nigerians mourning.
“We will never forget how many NIGERIANS are mascred during the endsars protest,” he wrote.
Kennedy Ton also used the anniversary to remember those who lost their lives during the protests, questioning why the identities of those who authorised the operation had not been established publicly to his satisfaction.
“Today we remember those who lost their lives at the Lekki Toll Gate End SARS massacre,” Ton wrote.
“Six years after, yet we keep asking the question who gave the order of the massacre….. a nation of unaccountability, brutality, and negligence,” he added.
Another user, Adeleye Ayomide, recalled that protesters had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate and Alausa in Lagos during the demonstrations, with some waving Nigerian flags and singing the national anthem.
Ayomide said the protests had attracted young Nigerians across the country who demanded an end to police brutality, corruption and the disbandment of SARS.
He also called for the victims to be remembered and for justice to be pursued.
The #EndSARS protests began in October 2020 following years of complaints about alleged abuses by SARS, a unit of the Nigeria Police Force established to tackle armed robbery and other violent crimes.
The unit faced persistent allegations of unlawful arrests, extortion, torture, harassment and extrajudicial killings. Previous government promises to reform or disband the unit had failed to resolve public concerns.
The demonstrations gained momentum after a video circulated widely on social media in early October 2020, showing SARS officers allegedly dragging two men from a hotel and shooting one of them. Protests subsequently spread across several Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Benin City.
On October 11, 2020, the police announced the dissolution of SARS. However, protesters continued their demonstrations, insisting that the government implement broader police reforms, investigate alleged abuses and hold offending officers accountable.
The Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos became one of the movement’s most prominent protest sites, with demonstrators maintaining a presence there for days.
On October 20, 2020, after Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a 24-hour curfew amid escalating tensions and violence in parts of the state, soldiers arrived at the Lekki Toll Gate, where protesters had gathered.
Amnesty International, which investigated the incident using eyewitness accounts, video footage and hospital reports, said at least 12 people were killed at the Lekki Toll Gate and Alausa protest grounds when security forces opened fire on demonstrators.
(Daily Trust)
