Rights groups mark six years since EndSARS, demand prosecutions in Nigeria
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The gist
Nigerian rights groups marked six years since the 2020 Lekki Toll Gate shootings, demanding prosecutions of officials.
Amnesty says police abuses continue with little accountability, so victims' families still lack justice.
Background
The #EndSARS protests began in October 2020 as a nationwide outcry against systemic police brutality, especially abuses by the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), before widening into demands for good governance and better living conditions. The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), a Nigerian rights group demanding accountability over the 2020 killings, and Amnesty International, a global human rights organisation documenting alleged police abuses in Nigeria, are among those marking the sixth anniversary of the October 20, 2020 shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos. The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry examined the Lekki incident and made findings on the killing and injury of protesters, but the groups criticise authorities for not turning those findings into criminal accountability.
How it unfolded
- Oct 3, 2020Outrage boiled over after a video showed SARS operatives shooting a young man outside Wetland Hotel in Ughelli, Delta State, and driving off in his car.
- Oct 8, 2020The #EndSARS protest started and quickly spread to other parts of the country.
- Oct 20, 2020Shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos; Amnesty International said at least 12 people were killed at protest locations in Alausa and the Lekki Toll Gate, with hundreds severely injured.
- Jul 2024The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice found Nigeria liable for violating protesters' rights to expression, assembly and association and freedom from torture, ordering compensation and fresh investigations.
- Oct 19, 2026CAPPA called on the Federal and Lagos State Governments to issue an unreserved public apology for the Lekki Toll Gate killings, with official acknowledgement and redress.
- Oct 20, 2026The YRC called for prosecution of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, former army chief General Tukur Buratai and former police commanders, and planned a TikTok Live anniversary event; Amnesty accused authorities of failing to end police abuses.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- The Youth Rights Campaign called for prosecution of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, General Tukur Buratai, former police commanders and others, saying failure to prosecute deepened impunity and denied victims justice.
- Amnesty
- Amnesty International accused Nigerian authorities of failing to end police abuses, saying security forces keep killing, torturing and mistreating citizens with little or no accountability.
- CAPPA
- CAPPA demanded an unreserved government apology, independent prosecutions, reparations and structural police reforms, saying a peaceful protest was answered with bullets.
- Expert
- Nathaniel Ngwu of the Criminal Justice Network of Nigeria said unlawful arrests, torture, extortion and excessive force remain concerns, and reforms will fail unless police implement them daily.
- Support
- Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, called the anniversary a painful reminder of the price Nigerian youths paid and said injustice must never be normalised.
Still unverified
The YRC alleged that soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters and questioned the alleged switching off of floodlights and removal of CCTV cameras before the shootings; it also alleged that Kamsi Ibeh was trailed and attacked with machetes by suspected state-backed thugs and that a protester identified as Patrick was harassed at Maroko Police Station. Amnesty International said about 38 people were allegedly killed in a single day during the protests, and alleged that Anthony Enruchi Obodo was abandoned by the roadside in a pool of blood. Police and other authorities disputed aspects of Amnesty's allegations about the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests.