Nigerians Gathered to Honour #EndSARS Victims. Police Tear-Gassed Them
Police fired teargas at Nigerians who gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday to honour victims of the 2020 #EndSARS protests. The action disrupted a planned wreath-laying ceremony on the sixth anniversary of the shootings.
The mourners had gathered to remember those who died during the protests and renew calls for justice. However, their tribute took a different turn when police officers fired teargas to disperse them.
The Enough is Enough (EiE) movement organised the memorial. Participants planned to lay 15 wreaths in honour of victims, including journalist Pelumi Onifade.
Lagos governorship candidates Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Funso Doherty also attended the gathering, according to media reports.
The police action prevented the organisers from carrying out the ceremony as planned. However, reports available so far have not established why the officers decided to disperse the crowd.
A memorial tied to a painful history
The date, October 20, holds deep significance for the #EndSARS movement.
Six years earlier, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate during demonstrations against police brutality. The incident drew international attention and sparked demands for an investigation into the shootings.
The protests began with calls to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which faced widespread allegations of extortion, torture and unlawful killings. As demonstrations spread across Nigeria, young people also demanded wider police reforms.
The government eventually disbanded SARS. However, questions about the Lekki shootings and demands for accountability have continued.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry investigated the incident and documented deaths and injuries. Government and military authorities disputed aspects of the findings.
Police have disrupted previous memorials
Tuesday’s incident also recalls earlier confrontations between police and #EndSARS memorial participants.
During the 2024 anniversary, police officers used teargas to disperse protesters at the toll gate. The incident later went to court.
In July 2025, the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Inspector-General of Police and the then Lagos Commissioner of Police to pay ₦10 million in damages to protesters whose rights were violated during the 2024 procession.
That ruling concerned the earlier incident, not Tuesday’s gathering.
Nevertheless, the latest disruption raises fresh questions about how police handle peaceful commemorations. It also brings renewed attention to Nigerians’ right to assemble and remember victims of violence.
For the organisers, Tuesday’s gathering was an opportunity to honour those who lost their lives in 2020. Instead, police teargas cut the ceremony short, leaving participants unable to complete the planned wreath-laying tribute.