Tension erupted at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday as police fired tear gas to disperse activists and other Nigerians who gathered to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
The gathering was organised to honour victims of the 2020 demonstrations and renew calls for justice, police accountability and reforms.
Those who assembled at the toll gate were forced to flee as tear gas filled the area, disrupting the planned commemoration.
Among those present were the Lagos State governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Funso Doherty, and the African Democratic Congress, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. 
Despite the police action, activists vowed to sustain the campaign for justice and police reforms while keeping alive the memory of those who lost their lives during the #EndSARS protests.
The tension later subsided, with the area subsequently cleared.
Tuesday’s incident has renewed concerns over the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, six years after the nationwide protests that brought police brutality and alleged extrajudicial killings to the centre of national debate.
The #EndSARS demonstrations began in October 2020, with young Nigerians demanding an end to police brutality, particularly abuses linked to the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
The protests spread across several parts of the country, with the Lekki Toll Gate emerging as one of the movement’s most prominent flashpoints.
On October 20, 2020, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the toll gate in an incident that has remained contentious, particularly over the number of casualties and questions surrounding accountability.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up to investigate the incident later found that protesters were shot at, injured and killed. The state government, however, rejected key aspects of the panel’s findings, including its conclusions concerning casualties.
The renewed commemoration at the toll gate underscores the enduring significance of the #EndSARS protests and the unresolved debates over police reform, accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.
