One year after #EndSARS protests: Lagos residents, others condemn planned commemoration of Lekki tollgate shooting

Today, October 20, 2021, makes it exactly a year after the Lekki tollgate shooting which was one of the highlights of the #EndSARS protests which not only swept through the nation but also garnered global sympathy against police brutality in Nigeria. While there have been plans and counter-plans to hold a rally today in commemoration of the incident, LEKAN OLABULO reports residents and stakeholders’ refusal of the proposed event.

The End SARS grand protest was a series of mass protests against police brutality in Nigeria. The slogan called for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit of the Nigerian Police with a long record of abuses. The protests which took its name from the slogan started in 2017 as a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #EndSARS demanded the disbanding of the unit by the Nigerian government. After experiencing a revitalisation in October 2020 following more revelations of the abuses of the unit, mass demonstrations occurred throughout the major cities of Nigeria, accompanied by a massive outrage on social media platforms. About 28 million tweets bearing the hashtag have been accumulated on Twitter alone. Solidarity protests and demonstrations by Nigerians in diaspora and sympathizers occurred in many major cities of the world. The protests were notable for its patronage by a demographic that is made of entirely young Nigerians. The movement has since expanded to include demands for good and accountable governance.

However, the protests which started on October 8, 2020, ran through to October 22, with the October 20 Lekki tollgate shootings which resulted in what many described as a major catastrophe. In the wake of the protests, the destruction of life and properties has been unimaginable. After these, state governments across the country set up commissions of enquiry into alleged police brutality.

It is a year after the incident and there are calls for a commemoration of the protest. However, residents of Lagos State have expressed worries on the proposed rally to commemorate the October 20, 2020 shooting incident during the #EndSARS protest at the Lekki Tollgate in the state. Many of the residents expressed their apprehension that the proposed anniversary may be hijacked by hoodlums and may result in similar incident.

Concerned human rights activists however called on the government and the police authority to do the needful by ensuring sincere restructuring of the police and the judicial system in the country, saying that is the only way that the aggrieved youths can be placated.

The Lagos residents also called on the organisers of the rally to liaise with the police and other security agencies to create a common ground for the success of the anniversary.

 

‘Anniversary commemoration can be hijacked by hoodlums’

A resident of Obawole area of Fagba in the state said “Protest again? We are yet to fully recover from the effect of last year’s own and some people are still thinking of another protest.

“We know that the police will not want to fold their arms and watch hoodlums hijack the whole arrangement to create unrest by breaking down law and order in the state.”

The resident added that, “The anniversary is not necessary at this point in time. This period is volatile considering the economic situation and political tussle in the country. The anniversary will trigger another protest that may be hijacked by hoodlums.

“More so, many jobless youths are also looking for ways to express their anger. Last year’s protest brought sorrow and tears. I don’t understand if we have a short memory. What are we celebrating? Is it the wanton destruction of property, including police stations or the destruction of lives? Are they celebrating the killing of innocent people or policemen? Do you remember how long it took the police to reclaim the public places? During and after the protest, we were exposed to danger as the police abandoned us to the mercy of criminals.

“With agitations all over Nigeria, especially in the South-East and South-West, the anniversary may be an opportunity to execute their plans and this may be devastating. I think the youths should express their anger through the ballot.”

Another resident and father of three, Jimoh Alamu, said that he is scared stiff at the mention of planned protests to mark the first anniversary of the demonstrations and killings in Lagos and several other states.

According to him, “It was worse than what we experienced at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was sheer anarchy everywhere, and nobody knew what would happen next. I think any plan towards repeating that ugly incident should be shelved for now. The situation in the country today is too fragile for such a protest.”

 

‘Observe sit-at-home rather than go on the streets’

In his reaction, Gbadebo Rapheal, a resident, would also not want a repeat of the incident so soon. Besides having a negative impact on livelihoods, last year, the protest also left the society vulnerable. “We couldn’t go out because the roads were blocked. Unfortunately the degree of arson, looting and vandalism experienced during that period is something one will not wish to experience twice in a lifetime.

“My advice is that this should be shelved for now, and if the organisers are bent on marking it, they can employ other strategies. For instance, they can ask the people to sit at home throughout the day. I think that would be more preferable than exposing them to some flying bullets usually seen during such protests,” he said.

 

‘Security agents already overwhelmed’

Mrs Waliat Asabi, a resident of Alagbado area of the state, expressed indifference to the planned rally in commemoration of the incident. “There is tension already in the country. The security agencies are already overwhelmed; I am afraid that the anniversary may lead to another confrontation with security agencies. There are some unscrupulous elements that are waiting for an opportunity like this to unleash mayhem on the nation. They are only waiting for an opportunity for lawlessness. It is not a bad thing to remember those who lost their lives in the incident but there should be another way than organising a rally or protest in their honour,” she said.

 

Opportunity provided by #EndSARS protest to reform police bungled—RULAAC

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) while speaking on the planned commemoration advised that the only way such things could be avoided was for the government to genuinely restructure the Nigeria Police Force and the justice system in the country.

The center’s executive director, Okechukwu Nwaguma, in a statement on anniversary said “It   was expected that the EndSARS protests would propel the government to see the need to urgently initiate a comprehensive police reform programme to address the challenges and gaps that allowed the egregious misconducts that triggered the EndSARS protests.

“We recall that barely one month before the commencement of the protests across the country, President Buhari had signed into law the new Police Act 2020 which provides a framework to commence genuine and far reaching police reform: from compromised recruitment process, to poor training (including dilapidated training institutions and poor training curriculum) to inadequate funding and poor welfare conditions which make the police work force prone to corruption and violence. The new Police Act has elaborate provisions for due process safeguards and how police officers should exercise their powers.

“We recall also that the IGP and the Federal Government acceded to the 5-point demand presented by the protesters and affirmed that the demands were genuine concerns and would be addressed by the government. The IGP in response to the demands dissolved the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), reaffirmed the constitutional rights of Nigerians to peaceful assembly and protests.

“However, in spite of these acknowledgments, the Federal Government, at the same time resorted to vile tactics to suppress the peaceful protests before it eventually deployed naked force to brutally quell the protests by dispatching soldiers to open fire on the assembly of unarmed and peaceful protesters leading to loss of lives and injuries.

“Police abuses remain widespread with police officers engaging in the same patterns of abuse that sparked EndSARS. The opportunity provided by EndSARS has been bungled. Police authorities are still issuing illegal orders banning peaceful protests and assembly- which are constitutionally guaranteed human rights. Government has moved from denials to partial admission and attempts to cover up the truth regarding what happened at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020. There is no accountability yet for the perpetrators of police abuse. Impunity is still rife and the rule of law is in retreat.

“There have been controversy and disputations over the actual number of persons killed by the military at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020. This has played out at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry where the army, police, Lagos State government representatives, representatives of the EndSARS movement and the Chief Pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) gave testimonies and evidence.

“Different figures have been presented by different groups. One of the witnesses who testified at the Lagos State judicial panel of inquiry said no less than 10 people were killed while several others were injured. But even if it was just one person killed, as Dele Giwa of blessed memory wrote, one life lost in cold blood is as gruesome as a million lives lost in a pogrom.”

RULAAC commended the Lagos State judicial panel for awarding monetary compensations to some of the victims of police brutality who brought complaints before it. “No amount of money can compensate for the lives and dignity of human beings but it is a symbolic way of assuaging the pains and agony of victims and their families and also saying that the state does not tolerate human rights abuse.

“Nigerians are waiting to see the government implement the recommendations of the various state judicial panels of inquiry with regard to bringing perpetrators to account.  That›s one way the state will send a clear message that it will not condone human rights violations. It is one way to stamp out impunity for police abuses,” he said.

He added that, “The Nigeria Police Force must commit itself to the professional  standards characteristic of  the police in a democracy. The police must be the protector of human rights and the rule of law and not predators and law breakers.”