Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, alongside several activists, have strongly criticized the Nigeria Police Force for their alleged harassment of protesters marking the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest.
Reports indicated that around 23 activists, who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to commemorate the event, were arrested by the police.
Among those detained were three women. Eyewitnesses described how the protesters were first dispersed with teargas before being rounded up and transported in a Black Maria to Panti Police Station in Yaba, where they were held.
Video footage obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday morning showed scenes of chaos as demonstrators fled when the police opened fire at the toll gate.
The protestors had gathered at around 8:30 a.m., holding banners and placards, demanding the full implementation of the reports submitted by various judicial panels of inquiry set up after the 2020 protests.
The #EndSARS movement, which began on October 1, 2020, was a significant youth-led uprising against widespread police misconduct, particularly abuses by the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, including cases of killings, harassment, and extortion.
The movement reached its height at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, where soldiers reportedly killed several protestors, a claim the government has consistently denied.
Despite this, activists and witnesses have continued to assert that the military was responsible for the deaths, fueling annual memorials.
One of the protesters, identified as Excel, recounted his experience, explaining that he was injured while attempting to escape from the police teargas.
“They have started firing teargas at us. I fell into the gutter; I was hit on the head,” he said. Another protester, Bayo Are, mentioned that he was also struck, though he escaped with minor injuries, saying, “I’m not really injured, just a few scratches on my body. Some people have also been arrested.”
Olawale Duroorike, one of the arrested activists, shared details of their arrest, stating that they were apprehended almost immediately after stepping off their bus.
He pointed out that the officers, armed and in large numbers, quickly teargassed, assaulted, and forced them into the Black Maria.
“We are currently being detained at Panti Police Station in Yaba, waiting for our lawyers. Twenty-three of us were arrested at Lekki Toll Gate where we were to commemorate the fourth anniversary of our comrades killed during the #EndSARS protest on October 20, 2020,” he explained. He added, “As soon as we disembarked from our bus, fully armed police officers rushed at us, fired teargas, beat us, and pushed us into the Black Maria.”
The Secretary of the Democratic Socialist Movement, Peluola Adewale, provided the names of some of the arrested activists, which included figures such as Hassan Taiwo (Soweto), Ilesanmi Kehinde, and several others.
Defending the actions of the police, the Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the officers had no choice but to prevent a disruption of traffic at the toll gate.
“They were told to disperse, but they were adamant; we had to use minimal force to disperse them,” Hundeyin said.
He later confirmed via a post on X on Sunday that all arrested protesters had been released, stating, “All protesters in our custody have been released. CP Olanrewaju Ishola was on the ground at the SCID to personally see to that.”
The arrest of the activists has been met with widespread condemnation. The National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, voiced his disapproval, emphasizing that the police behavior mirrored the very reasons behind the #EndSARS protests in 2020.
“The continuous harassment, arrest, and detention of protesters were exactly part of the reasons for the #EndSARS protest in 2020. It is clear that even four years after the historic action, the police and the government giving them orders have not changed. We will reject this tyranny and resist every attempt to shrink the Nigerian civic space,” Sanyaolu stated.
In a separate statement, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre also condemned the police’s actions, characterizing the arrest and brutalization of peaceful protesters as an affront to democratic rights.
Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, highlighted the importance of the protest as a memorial for the victims of the Lekki Toll Gate incident, stressing that it was vital in advocating for justice and security reforms.
“As legitimate expressions of free speech and assembly, these peaceful protests should be protected under democratic principles. The use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators is undemocratic and unjustified, especially as no offences have been committed,” Nwanguma remarked.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria chapter echoed similar sentiments, noting that human rights violations, including unlawful detentions and extortion, persist in Nigeria’s police force four years after the #EndSARS movement.
In a Sunday statement, Amnesty International’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, stated, “Amnesty International continues to receive – almost daily – reports of human rights violations by the police across Nigeria, including unlawful detention, extortion, torture, sexual violence, and in some cases extrajudicial execution.”
Sanusi further emphasized that the Nigerian authorities still had a chance to reform the police and instill a zero-tolerance policy for human rights abuses.
The National Coordinator of the Youths Rights Campaign, Michael Adaramoye, also denounced the police’s aggressive handling of the protest, asserting that this “vicious attack on activists and protesters” reflects the systemic issues within the force that must be addressed.
