Tension flared at the Lekki Toll Gate as police fired tear gas to disperse activists and concerned Nigerians who gathered to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.

The gathering was organised to honour those who lost their lives and remember the demonstrations against police brutality.

The protesters were forced to flee as tear gas filled the area, disrupting the planned commemoration.

Among those who gathered at the toll gate were the Lagos State governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

Despite the disruption, the activists vowed to continue the struggle for justice and police reforms that inspired the #EndSARS protests, while keeping alive the memory of those who died.

Tension has since subsided, and the area is now clear.

Police operatives use teargas to disperse a gathering at the Lekki Toll Gate during the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.

Six years after the protests, the incident has renewed concerns about citizens’ right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

Tuesday’s incident comes six years after the protests that began in October 2020, as young Nigerians demanded an end to police brutality, particularly abuses associated with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Woman defies police teargas, honours #EndSARS victims on the sixth memorial at Lekki Tollgate

The demonstrations spread across the country, with the Lekki Toll Gate becoming a focal point of the movement. On October 20, 2020, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the toll gate, an incident that remains a source of controversy over casualties and accountability.

The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, which investigated the incident, found that protesters were shot at, injured and killed. The state government later rejected key parts of the panel’s findings, including aspects of its conclusions on casualties.

The anniversary has also been marked by clashes between security operatives and people who gathered at the toll gate in subsequent years.

In October 2021, police fired tear gas during a memorial procession organised by youths and celebrities to honour victims of police brutality. The then Lagos Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, said the officers were dispersing people he described as “miscreants”, rather than participants in the procession.

In 2024, police again fired tear gas to disperse protesters marking the fourth anniversary. The protesters had called for the full implementation of recommendations made by judicial panels established after the 2020 demonstrations. The police said they acted after the protesters refused to disperse.

The #EndSARS movement led to the disbandment of SARS in October 2020, but demands for accountability, compensation for victims and broader police reforms have continued. (Channels)