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October 20, 2024
Nigerians, especially youths were massacred at the venue by Nigerian soldiers on the night of October 20, 2020 during the nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality.
A human rights advocacy group, Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), has demanded the immediate release of some #EndSARS memorial protesters arrested by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Command at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos.
The protesters were arrested and thrown inside a Black Maria on Sunday morning, October 20, when they converged at the Lekki Tollgate to mark the 4th memorial of the event.
Nigerians, especially youths were massacred at the venue by Nigerian soldiers on the night of October 20, 2020 during the nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality.
Demanding the immediate release of the protesters, the YRC National Secretary, Francis Nwapa, said, “We condemn the clampdown of the Nigeria Police on peaceful Nigerians who went to mark the 4th memorial of the #Endsars protest & Lekki massacre.
“They were beaten, arrested & thrown inside a Black Maria for holding a banner and wreath to lay at the Lekki toll. We demand immediate release”
In a video Nwapa posted on X, the protesters locked inside Black Maria vehicle said they did no wrong nor provoked the police to warrant their arrest and inhumane treatment, except that they came out to mark the remembrance of the fallen heroes who were killed during the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
One of the arrested protesters in the video, Hassan Soweto, said, “ A group of protesters who wanted to mark the 4th anniversary of the #EndSARS Lekki Tollgate massacre were apprehended by a group of policemen under the leadership of the Commission of Police in Lagos.
“I am right here speaking to you from a Black Maria. We have been brutalised. My glasses have been damaged. It was struck away from my eyes by a police officer without any provocation.
“We are asking here today, when did the right to commemorate the dead become illegal and criminalised in this country?
“We are only here to mark the passing of our brothers and sisters who were brutally killed four years ago at the Lekki Tollgate.
“We are asking the international media and members of the public globally to prevail on the Nigerian government under the Tinubu regime to stop further attacks on protesters. We are never going to give up on our rights to demand.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that operatives of Nigerian Police Force reportedly opened fire and used tear gas to violently disperse the protesters at the tollgate.
Witnesses at the scene reported that the peaceful march was disrupted when officers began shooting into the air and releasing tear gas to break up the crowd.
The police have not issued an official statement regarding the incident or the use of force during the memorial procession.
The tollgate has become a symbolic site for protests, as it is the location of the infamous October 20, 2020 Lekki Tollgate shooting, where Nigerian security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters.
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