Endsars Anniversary: Police release protesters gathered at Lekki Tollgate

The protesters gathered to honour those killed on 20 October by the Nigerian Army.

The police have released protesters earlier arrested for gathering at the Lekki Tollgate on Sunday, an official said.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson, made this known via his X handle.

The protesters had assembled to mark the fourth anniversary of those killed during the #EndSARS protest on 20 October 2020.

“All protesters in our custody have been released,” Mr Hundeyin posted.

“CP Olanrewaju Ishola was on the ground at the SCID to personally see to that.

Several protesters, including Hassan Soweto, an activist, were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command.

The #EndSARS protests erupted in numerous Nigerian cities in October 2020.

The protests were an explosion of pent-up anger nationwide over unlawful arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings by the police, especially the rogue unit — Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Arrest

A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, via his X page, claimed that the arrested persons were brutalised.

He wrote: “They were brutalised and are currently being detained in State CID Panti by the police for commemorating the memorial of the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre,

“They were entirely peaceful and did not disrupt public peace in any way.

“We will do everything under the law to secure their release.”

In a video attached to the post, the activist, Mr Soweto spoke inside a police van.

He said they were assaulted by police officers “without provocation.”

He wondered “when the right to commemorate the dead has become illegal and criminalised in this country.”

He urged Nigerians to prevail on the government to prevent further attacks on protesters.

Also, another man in the van whose clothes were torn said he was “beaten” by an officer. The video shows at least 11 men in the van.

Endsars protest

The protests started peacefully but turned violent, especially after a government clampdown. Dozens of people, including peaceful protesters and police officers, were killed while public and private facilities were attacked.

At the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State, where it was most pronounced, security forces shot at peaceful protesters on 20 October 2020, when soldiers shot to disperse peaceful protesters who had gathered there for days.

At least 46 unarmed protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullets, or assaulted by security forces at the Lekki toll gate on 20 October 2020, a panel of inquiry set up by the Lagos State Government found out.

Similar attacks on peaceful demonstrators took place in other parts of the country during the protests.