Six years after protesters were shot at the Lekki Toll Gate, police in Lagos used teargas on Tuesday to break up a memorial for the victims before any wreaths were laid.
What happened
A wreath-laying ceremony had been planned for 11 a.m. on Tuesday 20 October 2026, the sixth anniversary of the 2020 shooting. Organisers, reported by Punch to be the Enough is Enough movement, planned to lay 15 wreaths: nine for people listed as killed in connection with the Lekki incident, four for people listed as missing and presumed dead, one for the journalist Pelumi Onifade, and one for other unidentified victims.
Police officers fired teargas to disperse those who gathered. A video showed people running for cover as the gas spread. No arrests or injuries were reported.
Candidates in the crowd
Two Lagos politicians were among those affected: Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for governor of Lagos State, and Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Their presence underlined how the memory of #EndSARS, a movement led largely by young people, still carries weight in Lagos politics ahead of the 6 February 2027 governorship election.
Six years on
The #EndSARS protests of October 2020 targeted police brutality and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, and ended with the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate on 20 October 2020. On this year’s anniversary, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) said police impunity persists six years on.
